A Divine Twist of Fate
by AerynSpeedleCaine
Summary: formerly 'Precious Little Miracle' After battling Adam, Buffy and the Scoobies head to New York on a vacation. While there, Buffy meets someone who changes her life in an unexpected way... **Revised and Slightly Improved**
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: **

I Do Not own ANYTHING!!! Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon, and Mutant Enemy. Boondock Saints belongs to Troy Duffy. Again, I Own NOTHING!!! (Except the plot for what is technically Chapters One, and onward chapters)...

**Author's Note: **

I do not own the story "Murphy is in Love". I was allowed to adopt it, with permission from "The Queen of Snape". I am just taking her initial idea and expanding upon it. No copyright infringement or plagiarism intended..._**Please (pretty please with a fudge brownie on top) Read, And Then REVIEW. Mmmkay?!?** _

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Precious Little Miracle

**A Boondock Saints-Buffy the Vampire Slayer Crossover**

Set two and a half years after the movie; and two and a half weeks after "Restless" (Season 4, Episode 22). Story will continue throughout Seasons 5-7 (and beyond possibly).

**Premise:**

After the battle with Adam and the events afterwards; and still not quite over Riley's unknowing infidelity during the body swap with Faith, Buffy decides to take a time-out from her Slayer duties; and her relationship with Riley, in order to completely come to terms with the whole Riley-Faith sex debacle.

With a (so far) quiet summer looming on the Hellmouth, Buffy convinces Giles that they could use a nice relaxing vacation away from Sunnydale.

Plans on going to stay at the home of Buffy's cousin in New York; everyone looks forward to two weeks of fun and relaxation. With hopes of doing some sight-seeing, a little bit of partying, and plenty of shopping. And if the need arises, some slaying.

And during the course of their vacation, Buffy and company encounter two men, one of which will have a profound impact on Buffy's life in a way no one could have ever anticipated…

**Story Timeline:**

**Late June 2000:** Murphy and Buffy meet, sparks fly, and a brief summer fling ensues.

**March 3, 2001:**

Rowan Nyla Colleen Summers is born to Buffy Anne Summers (and an unknowing Murphy MacManus) at 1:13am at Sunnydale General Hospital.

**April 8, 2001:** Realizing the severity of the danger Glory poses, Buffy makes a difficult decision.

**April 16, 2001:**

Secretly weary of her duties as the Slayer, and in a moment of absolute clarity, Buffy decides to sacrifice herself in place of Dawn in order to close the portal, thus saving the world, and allowing Dawn to live.

**April 19, 2001:**

In accordance with Buffy's last wishes, Giles and Willow take Rowan to New York City, to stay with her father- Murphy MacManus.

**September 17, 2001:**

Without his Slayer, Giles decides to head back to England to live, completely unaware of the spell that Willow, Xander, Tara, and Anya plan on undertaking to resurrect Buffy from a Hell dimension; though never knowing that they pulled her out of Heaven.

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**Certificate of Birth**

**Baby's Name:** Summers, Rowan Nyla Colleen

**Date of Birth:** 3- March-2001****

**Time of Birth:** 1:13am

**Length:** 18.5 inches

**Weight:** 7 pounds 4 ounces

**Mother's Name:** Summers, Buffy Anne

**Father's Name:** MacManus, Murphy


	2. Chapter 2

**Precious Little Miracle:**

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own Boondock Saints, nor Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They are owned by Troy Duffy and Joss Whedon, respectively... Just playing with the characters. ALSO, I Do Not Own the story "Murphy is in Love" I adopted it from "The Queen of Snape" with her permission. Mmkay?

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Prologue: Murphy Is In Love

June 17, 2001:

Murphy was in love. Head over heels in love. He never thought it possible to love someone as much as he did now. He had never felt such a strong connection with another person. Well, that was a lie, he had that connection with his twin, but this one was something different. Connor rolled his eyes playfully as he leaned in the doorframe.

"Are ye gonna spend all day doing that?" he asked his twin brother.

Murphy looked up at him with slight annoyance etched on his face. Connor had interrupted a perfect moment, and he was ready to slug him.

"Connor, she's sleepin', you need to be quiet," Murphy told him in a harsh whisper.

"I won't wake her, she sleeps like the dead when she's out," Connor replied, a smile tugging on his lips as he watched just how protective Murphy could be.

"Yes, but she needs to be to sleep first, right now she's still wide awake," Murphy replied, looking down at the little bundle in his arms.

Rowan's green eyes were wide and alert as they darted over to her Uncle Connor. She smiled when she saw him and let out a little happy coo, as one tiny hand reached out for him.

"She wants her Uncle Connor," Murphy smiled as the little pink bundle began to squirm and wiggle loose from her blanket.

Rowan let out a little annoyed cry when her father wouldn't let her go, and she began to fuss loudly. Murphy rolled his eyes a bit and looked at Connor.

"She gets that from you," Murphy smirked, standing up and passing her over to his brother.

"Aye, Ma said that too," Connor smiled, taking her tenderly and she began to settle down quickly.

She was only three months old, but she could tell the differences between her father and her uncle. Both of them held so much love for her. But her father was a little more quiet and intense, while her uncle was a little louder and less subtle. Connor was a little more open, a little warmer, while Murphy could be withdrawn, but he wasn't cold. Uncle Connor was her playmate, her entertainer, always making funny faces for her to laugh out or funny noises to brighten up her face. Her father was more of a comfort for her to latch onto when she was upset or fussy. Her little fingers would wrap tightly around his shirt as he helped calm her down and chase whatever fears she had away.

Rowan calmed down and Connor passed her back to Murphy so he could finish lulling the little girl to sleep. He was a pro at that. He felt his daughter grow heavy in his arms, and gently placed her in the crib. The two men stood over it as they watched the infant sleep.

"She's perfect," Murphy sighed.

"Aye," Connor agreed.

So Murphy was in love, but so was Connor.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: Anything recognizable doesn't belong to me... The geniuses are ****Joss Whedon and Troy Duffy...

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**Chapter 1:**** Vampires, Slayers, and Saints- Part One**

**Eleven months later:**

**May 10, 2002**-

Keeping a quiet vigil at his beautiful baby girl's crib-side, Murphy marvels at just much she's brightened up his life. He often has a hard time remembering his and Connor's life before Rowan. Looking at her now, he can distinctly see the growing resemblance to her mother with each passing day.

Little Rowan has his fair Irish complexion and dark reddish-brown hair, but everything else is all Buffy. From the pert little nose, to the full pouty mouth- but the most telling feature is her eyes- Rowan's eyes are the same moss green shade as Buffy's, they even have the same amber ring on the outer edge of the irises, like Buffy.

She seems to have inherited Buffy's personality too. She is a smiling, happy baby. Unless she is angry or upset, and then she'll let you know it. He often finds himself amazed that such a wee little thing has such a major set of lungs. And oh boy, she most certainly had inherited the infamous MacManus temper. But even with all that, she is still perfect in his eyes.

Murphy rarely allows himself to think about Buffy, because even after all this time, it still hurts when he thinks about her. It hurts him to know that his daughter will never have the chance to get to know her mother; it hurts to know that he'll never get the opportunity to find out if Buffy, Rowan, and he could have been a real family. He has so many "what could have been" scenarios running through his head, that can't be answered, all because of her premature death.

Even now, Murphy still isn't clear on the details of Buffy's death. He had been so shocked by Giles and Willow's unannounced visit that day- over a year ago- when they told him that Buffy had died.

And then after dropping that bombshell, they dropped another one- that he had a daughter. Reeling, he had been unable to focus on the details of Buffy's death, though he suspected, that Willow and Giles had been purposefully vague about the details. But, they had clearly been quite distraught over her death, and anyone could see that they were barely keeping it together. Besides, they were family to her, in a way that he clearly wasn't, so who was he to say anything about them withholding details.

**Flashback:**

It was another warm night in the city. Murphy and Connor had been living in New York City for almost two years. Though they were still working their mission, they were mostly living as normal a life as possible also, as a way to deflect their activities as the "Saints".

Da had been with them for the first year in New York; but then with some help from Agent Smecker, Da was able to fly home to Ireland and their ma. So, once again, Connor and Murphy were alone in their mission.

The day had been a normal one for them- work, pub, and then home. Except that Murphy had been experiencing a restless energy that refused to be squelched. No matter what he did, he couldn't keep still. It ended up annoying Connor so much, that they ended up scuffling. And even then it didn't completely fade away.

Eventually it was agreed that they would head out to their favorite club to try and find some entertainment. In other words, get piss drunk, and find a woman to help while away the dull hours.

**Apartment near Central Park: **

**Evening-**

"So Buffster, what are the plans for this evening?" Xander asked, watching as Buffy paced the length of the living room.

"I don't know. We could go patrolling in Central Park," she replied with a smirk, "Or else, we could go out to one of the clubs I've heard about from my cousin."

"Well, I vote for the club, you can always patrol when we get back to Sunnydale," Anya stated bluntly.

"I agree with Anya," Willow said, "We came here so that you could get away from patrolling for a while."

"So we're agreed? Clubbing it, right?" Xander asked.

"Yeah, we're all agreed. So I recommend getting ready to head out in about an hour," Buffy said.

Everyone then left to their designated rooms to get ready for the evening out on the town.

**Inside Shooting Stars:**

The club was loud, hot, and crowded. Everything one would expect a club to be. It had been fairly easy to get into, a little bit of mojo from Tara and Willow at the door- and voila- instant access. Buffy could feel the vibrations of the pulsing house beat that was currently spinning, as they found themselves a table close to the dance floor.

Xander and Buffy headed over to the bar to get drinks for everyone. Back at the table Anya, Willow, and Tara were seated looking out onto the dance floor, when Buffy and Xander came back with the drinks.

A song came on that had been a favorite of all three of the original Scoobies. Willow, Xander, and Buffy head out to the dance floor. And as they dance together, for that moment it's just like back in high school; laughing and joking, having a good time. Like they were still sixteen and things weren't quite so complicated yet.

Soon however, Anya and Tara joined their significant others on the dance floor, and Buffy is left to dance alone, but with the others close by.

Allowing the music to fill her senses, she closes her eyes, feeling it wash over that primitive aspect of her personality that is the Slayer. Swaying provocatively to the music, she is unaware of the people dancing closer, subconsciously drawn to her.

Meanwhile at the opposite end of the dance floor, Murphy is leaning on a pillar drinking a beer, eying the women in the club, while Connor flirts with a gorgeous brunette nearby. Finishing off his beer, he decides to go get another one at the bar. As he makes his way to the bar, he casually glances out onto the dance floor, as the crowd parts, he sees a petite blonde dancing by herself, at first he doesn't take much notice, but then as he watches, he finds himself mesmerized. Her moves are all raw sensuality; and a liquid grace, that for some reason, puts him in mind of a lioness on the hunt. And without even realizing it, he is slowly heading right for her. And the closer he gets, he can see that she is quite gorgeous, with a dark green backless halter, and black leather trousers that fit like a glove on her trim, athletic body, accentuating her shapely ass. As he gets within five feet of her; her eyes snap open, and he finds himself shivering at the predatory gleam in her moss green eyes.

**Buffy:**

I allowed myself to get swept up in the music. To the point where everything and everyone else faded into the background, and yet my senses felt so alive. I could feel the Slayer tingling just below the surface of my skin.

I haven't mentioned this to anyone yet, because I don't want them to worry, but ever since we did that spell to defeat Adam- connecting with the First Slayer- I've felt this compulsion to go out and hunt. And if I don't get to hunt, then I get restless and slightly bitchy; which is part of the reason I wanted to come to this club, in the hopes that I can squash the urge to slay. And though I will deny it with my last breath, but Faith was right. If I don't get a good slay in, well I feel the need to find another outlet for this energy, if you know what I mean.

So as I was trying to find yet another outlet for my Slayer frustration, I felt it. Somewhere close by, someone was approaching that was making the Slayer part of me hum with a deep-seated yearning. It felt like when I sense vamps nearby, and yet it was different. Kind of like the Slayer was sensing a kindred spirit. So when I opened my eyes, I found myself staring into the most intense blue eyes I've ever seen. And the only thing that popped into my head was- Hello salty goodness!

Ye Gods!!! I'm quoting Cordelia Chase! Heaven help me. Mentally shaking myself out of that disturbing train of thought.

So I gave Blue Eyes my most seductive smile, silently challenging him to make a move.


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I Do Not Own ANYTHING from either Buffy, or Boondock Saints. (Though I wish I owned Murphy and Connor!!!)**

**AUTHOR NOTE: Here is the next chapter in my story "Precious Little Miracle". I am not quite satisfied with it, but seeing as how I qualify as my own worst enemy/critic, I probably never will be satisfied. Anyway, I would like to thank my two reviewers: IrishSaints, and Sparks Diamond. I truly appreciate the fact that you both took the time to respond to what you read... Reviews are food for an author's soul, so please don't starve me. Read and review please!

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**CH. 2: Getting To Know You:**

Murphy felt his pulse speed up when she flashed him a sexy half smile. And he was absolutely convinced that the look in her eyes was pure invitation. And it was one invitation that he didn't intend to pass up. As he moved in closer, he saw the triumphant gleam of delight appear in her green eyes.

And they danced together, song after song, completely in synch with each other. Neither felt the need to speak as they danced.

About forty minutes later, Buffy got thirsty, so she said, "I'm getting pretty thirsty, and so I'm going to head back to my table, and grab my drink, and check on my friends. You are welcome to join us if you'd like."

"Aye, that would be nice. As I could use a drink myself as well," Murphy said, "and I'm Murphy by the way."

Giving a three hundred megawatt smile, she replied, "Hi Murphy, I'm Buffy, thanks a bunch for the dance."

"Are yeh serious? Is that really yer name?" he asked incredulously.

"And just what is so wrong with my name? I happen to like it!" Buffy said scowling darkly. "It's quirky and unique, like me."

Holding up his hands in surrender, he said, "No need to get so upset, I'm just teasing yeh."

"Well ha-frigging-ha. I'm so not amused."

"Alright, I'm very sorry if I offended yeh. Anyhow, tis a pleasure to be making yer acquaintance, it is."

"Well ok, I'll forgive you this time," Buffy answered with an exaggerated pout, "Anyway, shall we head on back to my table now?"

"Aye, we shall. Wherever yeh lead, I shall follow fair maiden," Murphy replied sardonically.

Weaving their way through the throng of people, Murphy three steps behind Buffy, he allowed himself a discreet look at her leather clad ass. As they approached the table, Xander was the first to notice Buffy's return.

"Hey Buff! I was beginning to think that you'd ditched us. Did you have a good time?" Xander asked.

"Fun was definitely had out on the dance floor," she said.

"So Buffster, who might this be?" Xander asked, noticing the good-looking guy that was pulling out the empty chair for Buffy.

"Guys, this is my dance partner Murphy," Buffy replied, "I got thirsty and decided to head back here, and so I asked him to join us."

"Hi Murphy, I'm Willow, and that gentleman over there is Xander, and his girlfriend Anya; and this is my girl, Tara," she said, taking it upon herself to introduce everyone at the table.

"Hello, pleasure to meet yeh all," Murphy said, as he pulled an empty chair over from another table, and proceeded to sit down.

"Are you here at the club by yourself? Or did you come with some people?" Anya asked.

"I actually came with me brother, although I seem to have lost him in the crowd."

"So, you're from Ireland, huh? I went there once, although it was work related, and I didn't have a chance to enjoy myself," Anya said.

"So, how long have you been in the United States?" Willow asked.

"Oh well, me brother and I have been here for almost five years now. We originally lived in Boston, but we moved to New York almost two years ago."

"That's neat; is the rest of your family back in Ireland? Or did they come out also?"

"No, it's just me brother and I."

"I used to know someone from Ireland. He was from Galway. Which area are you from?" Buffy asked.

"Oh well, I grew up in a town called Glencolumbkille, in County Donegal," Murphy replied, "It's closer to Northern Ireland. So, where are yeh all from then? Or do yeh live here in New York?"

"Oh no, Xander, Buffy, and I are Californians, born and raised, and Tara is from New Mexico originally, although I don't know where Anya was born," Willow answered.

"I've always wanted to go there. Maybe someday I will."

Just then a man with dirty blonde/light brown hair approached Murphy, and smacked him in the head. "Where the fuck have yeh been Murph? I've been looking all over this place for yeh!"

"Ow! Fer Christ's fucking sake! What the fuck didja do that for?!?" Murphy complained.

"Lord's fucking name!" Connor snapped, smacking Murphy in the head again.

"Hail Mary, full of grace," Murphy muttered, rubbing at the back of his sore head.

The Scoobies watched this exchange with varying degrees of concern, and for some, amusement. Buffy cleared her throat exaggeratedly and deadpanned, "So Murphy, since you seem to know this lovely gentleman, would you care to introduce the rest of us?"

"Aye; this idiot is me brother, Connor. And this dear brother- is Anya, Xander, Tara, Willow, and Buffy," Murphy said, pointing to each person in turn.

Smiling winningly, Connor waved and said "Hello" to everyone.

"So Connor, we were just getting to know each other before you arrived. Pull up a chair, and join us," Xander said.

"Thank yeh, I'd appreciate it."

"Anyway, I was just telling Murphy where we were from, before you showed up," Willow explained.

"Oh; and where are yeh from, if yeh don't mind explaining it again," Connor asked.

"Xander and I were born and raised in Sunnydale, California," Willow answered, "Buffy is from Los Angeles, but she moved to Sunnydale during our sophomore year of high school, whereas Tara grew up in New Mexico, and Anya-"

"I was born in the Ukraine, but raised in Nebraska," Anya interrupted.

Sending Anya a dirty look for interrupting, Willow continued, "And apparently Anya is from Nebraska."

"I know I don't know much about California, but I'm sure I've never heard of Sunnydale before. Where exactly is it?" Connor asked.

"It's about two hours south of San Francisco, and three hours and forty minutes north of L.A." Buffy said.

"Oh."

"S-s-so what made you t-two decide to move f-from Ireland to America?" Tara asked shyly.

"Oh you know, hoping to find a bit o' the American dream and all that," Murphy replied glibly, tossing a look at Connor.

"What is it you all do back in California then?" Connor asked.

Buffy was the once to answer that question, "Well, Willow, Tara, and I go to university at UC-Sunnydale; Xander works as a laborer at a construction site; and Anya is between jobs at the moment, right Anya?" Anya nodded. "And what exactly is it that the two of you do?"

"Oh well, we both work at the local-" Murphy said.

"-meat packing warehouse at the moment," Connor finished.

"Wow that was totally wiggy. Do you two complete each others sentences often?" Xander asked.

"Aye, it is one of the weird psychic bond things that come from being twins. And yeh're not the only ones it's bothered, either," Connor chuckled.

"You guys are twins? Must be fraternal twins then, since you don't look alike," Willow said. Noticing the "duh" looks on everyone's faces, Willow turned beet red at the silliness of her remark.

Looking between the brothers, Buffy asked, "So which one is the oldest?"

Murphy and Connor answered simultaneously, "I am!" At the confused looks they received, Connor explained, "Our mother, in her infinite wisdom, thought it would cause less problems if she didn't tell us who the older twin was."

The Scoobies were impressed with the twisted logic in that theory, and Buffy said, "That's fiendishly clever. It's so diabolical- I love it!"

The rest of the night was spent alternating between talking, drinking, and dancing. And when last call was finally announced, it was agreed upon between the Scoobies and the MacManus brothers to go to a nearby all night diner, to get something to eat.


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own any of it! Never have, never will...**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, this is just a revision of this chapter, because I so wasn't satisfied with the previous chapter. And I suspect that it was shite anyway, since I got ZERO reviews. Hopefully this revision is a little more satisfying, until the next chapter comes out (which should be soon, as I am working on it right now). ANYWHO! Hopefully this one will get at least one review this time 'round...

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**First Date, Interrupted (Revised)**

A couple of days later, found Buffy with the immense good fortune to have the whole apartment to herself, for the majority of the afternoon, and early evening.

Deciding to spend the time alone just relaxing and pampering herself, she made an appointment to have a masseur come and give her a massage later that afternoon. After making the appointment, she went into her room to change into her workout clothes, so that she could practice the Tai Chi katas that Angel taught her, during her senior year, after coming back from Hell.

As she slowly and steadily got into the rhythm, focusing on proper breathing, she soon felt the familiar and welcoming peace settling over her. After finishing her katas, she headed for her bathroom, intent on a hot bubble bath.

Once in the tub, the combination of the soothing hot water, and the scent of the bubbles had her dozing, in a drowsy and relaxed state. The sound of the telephone ringing jarred Buffy out of her cat nap.

Hopping out of the bathtub, cursing, she hurried into her room to answer the telephone.

"Hello?" she snapped into the receiver.

"Hello, may I please speak with Buffy?" an accented male voice asked.

"This is she, may I ask who is speaking?" she asked, even though she knew. It was the voice of the one man she had been thinking about from the moment she met him.

"Hi Buffy, this is Murphy. We met a couple of nights ago at the club: Shooting Stars," Murphy said.

"Oh yeah; I remember you. How are you doing?"

"I'm very well, thank ye fer askin'. Anyway, I was wonderin' if ye had any plans for tonight?"

"Hmm, well I didn't have anything too big or important planned, why?"

"Oh well, I was hoping that maybe, ye'd like to have dinner with me tonight?"

Pausing for a moment, not wanting to seem too eager, she pretended to deliberate the request. After about a minute, she responded, "Sure, I'd like that."

Murphy let out the breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding, at her acquiescence. "That's great. So it's a date, then?"

Buffy had a case of guilty conscience attack her in that moment as she thought of Riley. But she banished it immediately. She knew, deep down, what she needed to do about her situation with him. "So, what time did you have in mind?"

"I was thinkin' that I'd pick ye up at yer place at around seven forty-five. Does that sound alright?"

"Sounds like a plan. Let me give you the address of where I'm staying at. Do you have a pen and paper?"

"No, I don't. Give me a second, and I'll grab something, ok?"

Buffy heard shuffling, and then a muffled thump, followed by a muttered "fuck!" on Murphy's end of the telephone. Snickering silently to herself, she waited patiently till he came back on the line. "Ok then I'm ready, let's have the address."

After hanging up the telephone, Buffy looked at the clock on her bedside table, a speculative expression on her face. It was a quarter to three, and her massage appointment wasn't until four thirty. She figured that if she skipped the rest of her bubble bath- which had by now, gone completely cold- that she had just enough time to go out shopping for a new outfit to wear out to dinner, and be back in time for her massage.

At seven forty, Buffy was in her room, putting the finishing touches on her hair and make-up.

She wore a pair of charcoal gray linen trousers, a silver silk Mandarin collar backless halter, and three and a half inch gray faux snakeskin boots. She had her hair up in a loose bun, held by the two thinnest stakes she could find in her weapons bag. Her make-up was understated, but classy.

At precisely seven forty-five the doorbell rang. Grabbing the lightweight wrap she was taking, just in case, she went to answer the door. When she opened it, she almost purred aloud.

Murphy stood there, looking ruggedly handsome in new black jeans, a cobalt blue button-down shirt over a black tee shirt, and a black lightweight blazer, and worn black Doc Marten work boots. He had a five o'clock shadow that complemented his looks. All in all, he had a bad boy quality about him that Buffy found all too appealing. "Well, hello there!"

Murphy suppressed a shiver, when she practically purred in a husky seductive voice "Well, hello there." Instead, he held out the bouquet of peonies he'd brought Buffy. "I brought these are for ye. I hope ye like 'em. By the way, ye look quite lovely tonight."

Taking the bouquet of flowers, she smiled demurely at the compliment, giving the flowers a quick sniff; she laid them gently on the table, making a mental note to put them in something nice when she got back. "Shall we go now?" As she crossed over the threshold, she then turned to close and lock the door.

"Aye, we shall," Murphy replied, waiting while she locked the door. When she turned back to him, he held out his arm in a courtly fashion, "May I?"

Charmed by the display of uncommon chivalry, Buffy placed her hand on the crook of his arm, "Why thank you kind sir," she said in a fake southern drawl.

Once outside, they hailed a cab, to take them to the restaurant. They chatted while the cab driver maneuvered his way through the evening traffic with a terrifying precision and ease that Buffy could totally relate to; because her own driving skills were also considered terrifying.

Heightened senses, and lightning quick reflexes were all part of the Slayer package- so was it her fault that she reacted quicker than the average driver? So, where was the bad in being able to anticipate and therefore avoid most common accidents? She didn't think that she drove irresponsibly.

The cab pulled to a stop just outside a swanky upscale Japanese restaurant/sushi bar. After paying the driver, Murphy got out of the cab first. He then helped Buffy out of the cab. Without even realizing it, Murphy placed his hand possessively and protectively on the small of Buffy's back, as he led her inside the restaurant. And Buffy was so pleased and amused by these small courtesies, that she didn't have the heart to call him on it.

Inside, they were led to a cozy, intimate booth in a more secluded part of the restaurant. Comfortably settled in the booth, they spent a few minutes perusing the menus. And after ordering, Buffy told Murphy a few colorful anecdotes about her life in Los Angeles and Sunnydale. She told him about a few of the adventures that she, Xander, and Willow had while in high school- leaving out any details that had anything to do with slaying and the supernatural.

Their dinners arrived after a while, and Buffy offered Murphy some of her sushi, which had a generous portion of wasabi on it. The expression on Murphy's face was priceless, as he quickly gulped down some of the sake they had ordered with the meal. She was still laughing when he glared at her. She apologized to him about giving him the wasabi coated piece of sushi. She explained that it was definitely an acquired taste.

As they ate, Murphy told her about some of the scrapes and shenanigans that he and Conner used to get into growing up in Ireland. He even told her about the incident two years ago, back in Boston, at the meat-packing plant on Saint Patrick's Day.

When dinner was finished, they decided play it by ear, as to what form of entertainment would strike either one of their fancies, rather than having to plan out what either wanted to do next. So, as the walked through the hustle and bustle of the City, enjoying each others company, when they came across a coffee house that was featuring a live band that evening, and they decided to get some coffee and hear the band play.

Buffy was enjoying Murphy's company so much. She only wished that he didn't smoke, that was the only thing she found disagreeable about him. But, she knew that she could deal with it. After all, chances were that after she got back to Sunnydale, she would never see him again.

Murphy was having a great time. He couldn't remember the last time he had had such a great time, but he was fairly certain it was way before God had chosen him and Conner to do His work.

Buffy was funny, intelligent, and amazingly beautiful. It was a shame that once her holiday was over, that he would likely never see her again.

Because she was one woman he wouldn't mind getting know a lot better, possibly even date.

But the impossibility of any kind of relationship was doomed, because it wasn't as though he could tell her or any other woman about being a part of the Saints. No, being a Saint was not conducive to having a relationship. This mission from God- to destroy all that which is evil- was daunting; and fraught with danger and uncertainty.

Walking back to her apartment after the coffeehouse, Buffy should have known that the date was going too well. It was either the "Powers That Be" or the forces of evil that felt the need to muck up her perfectly normal evening. Because not even ten blocks from the coffeehouse, in a darkened alley no less, there was the sound of terrified screaming.

Shit! Shit! Shit! Buffy thought. Why does this _Always_ happen to me? Racing towards the alley, she went to see what the situation was. She was about to enter the alley, when Murphy grabbed her arm.

"What the hell are ye doing?" Murphy exclaimed.

"I'm going to go see what's happening. See if I can do something to help," she said, her expression clearly saying "Duh!"

"Are ye insane?"

"No. Somebody has got to help whoever is in trouble, and seeing as how we are the only ones close by, it falls to me."

"No. Buffy ye should go call the police, and let me go."

"No friggin' way in hell. I'm so not letting you go and get yourself hurt," Buffy exclaimed, her spidey senses going off like a klaxon. "You have no idea what you're dealing with!"

When another scream pierced the night, Buffy ran into the alley, with Murphy hot on her heels.

Scanning the scene, Buffy saw four vampires, and two victims being fed on, and a third victim crumpled on the ground. Grabbing one of the stakes from her hair, she managed to plunge it into the first vamp, before being noticed by the others.

When the three other vampires noticed her presence, they shoved the victims away snarling "Slayer!", and rushed Buffy, who proceeded to immediately dust the closest vamp.

She was trading blows with one of the vamps, when a gunshot rang out into the night. Pausing for a moment, both the vamp and Buffy turned to see where the sound came from. That was when Buffy saw Murphy, struggling to fend off the other vampire. Cursing, she quickly went took care of the third vamp, and then went to rescue Murphy.

"Hey! Why don't you pick on someone my own size!" Buffy yelled, grabbing the vamp by the back of his shirt, and pulling him off of Murphy, and tossing him against the dumpster, twenty feet away.

Meanwhile, Murphy was holding the bleeding wound on his neck, completely bewildered. Vampires? Vampires are fuckin' real?! Just what the fuck is going on here?!? Murphy thought, as he watched Buffy pummeling the vampire.

Watching as she then shoved the stake she had into the chest of the vampire and it turned to dust.

Once she had taken care of all the vamps, Buffy then made her way to Murphy, checking to see if he was alright. Seeing him holding the bleeding wound on his neck, she mentally winced. "Are you ok?"

"What the fuck was all that Buffy?!?" Murphy asked, "That _**thing**_ bit me, and then it pulled away just as quickly. Were those really vampires?"

"Um, yeah, vampires are real," Buffy said sheepishly. "Are you ok to stand?"

Murphy nodded, and slowly stood up.

"Good, cos' I need to check on the other people, and make sure they're alright. Then we came go back to my place, and you can ask questions, and I'll answer them for you the best I can, ok?"

Again Murphy nodded. Too shocked by the events too respond verbally.

After ascertaining that the victims would be alright, Buffy and Murphy made their way out of the alley.

On the street, Buffy quickly hailed a cab to take Murphy and herself back to her apartment. During the drive Buffy was silently berating herself. Way to go Buff! Good job of making with the secret identity! Man when Giles hears about this he is so gonna have kittens!

Glancing over at a shell-shocked Murphy, she knew this was going to be a very long night. She so did not want to be having this conversation.

Meanwhile, Murphy was trying to make sense of what he'd seen and experienced. Even knowing that he'd seen it with his own two eyes, he was still having a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that vampires were real.

Christ in Heaven above! What the fuck is goin' on? First I find that vampires really exist, but then I find Buffy, a wee slip of a girl, fightin' them with the ease and skill of Xena the Warrior Princess. How is that even possible? Fuck, Conner is never goin' ta believe this shit!

Pulling up to the front of the high rise apartment building where she was staying, Buffy saw that Murphy was still sporting a shell-shocked expression, and hadn't noticed their arrival, she quickly paid the cab fare, and then turning to Murphy she quietly called out to him, "Murphy, snap out of it, we're here."

And when that failed to get his attention, she placed a gentle hand on his arm and shook it, trying to gain his attention, "Come on Murphy, time to get out of the cab."

"Huh?" Murphy grunted coming out of his stupor. Noticing that Buffy was giving him a concerned look, he shook his head in an effort to clear the cobwebs, "Oh, are here already?"

Walking into the apartment building, Murphy followed Buffy to the lifts in silence. Alone inside the lift, Buffy finally spoke, "Look Murphy, I'm certain that you're having a major wiggins right about now, and I can't really blame you, but I was thinking, if it will put you more at ease, I think you should call your brother, and have him come over to hear what I'm about to say too. Because I'm fairly certain that you're going to tell him anyway, and it will probably be easier all around if he hears it from us. And I really don't want to explain this more than I have to."

"Aye, I think I'd like that," Murphy agreed.

"Ok, while you go ahead and call your brother, I'm going to go wake the gang."


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own/have the rights to either Murphy or Conner MacManus, they belong to Troy Duffy; nor do I own/have the rights to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and it's characters, they belong to Joss Whedon. I am just playing with 'em, k?**

**__**

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the next installment in my lil' fic. Hopefully it will fair better than the previous chapter. I'm asking (or begging, if it'll do the trick!) PLEASE Read and Review..._**

**WELCOME TO MY WORLD**

Murphy was sitting in a squashy armchair tensely waiting for his twin's arrival. While Buffy was pacing restlessly, and the rest of the Scoobies were either talking quietly, or watching Buffy pace, while everyone waited for Conner to arrive so that they could start the meeting.

The buzzing of the intercom was like a bomb going off in the tense room.

Conner was beside himself with worry. He had gotten a call at around two in the morning from Murphy, asking him to meet him at Buffy's flat as fast as he could; he hadn't offered any reason for why, other than he needed him. Although Conner had been able to hear the edge in his twin's voice, so he knew something wasn't right with his brother. Hearing the distress in Murphy's voice automatically set Conner's nerves on edge.

There were plenty of scenarios running through his head at the moment. So as a precaution, Conner had armed himself with a couple of guns, and Murphy's knife, just in case. His senses were on hyper-alert for any possible dangers that may occur.

Reaching the door for flat number 1829, Conner rapped on the door, waiting impatiently for someone to answer, shifting anxiously from foot to foot. After what felt like an hour, the door opened- the red-haired young woman, Willow- answered the door. Upon seeing it was him, she stepped to the side- and instead of verbally inviting him in- she simply gestured for him to come in, which Conner thought was rather strange. But shrugging the thought aside, he entered the flat. He waited for her to show him into the living room area of the flat. Upon seeing his twin, Conner made an immediate beeline for him. Kneeling in front of his twin, Conner spoke softly to Murphy in Gaelic, looking into Murphy's troubled blue eyes.

Murphy was immensely comforted by his twin's presence, so when Conner was asking him questions in Gaelic, Murphy automatically responded in Gaelic also.

Conner could easily see that Murphy was bothered, and didn't quite know how to express what he was feeling. And it was the lost look in Murphy's eyes that always brought out Conner's protective streak, which in turn made him angry at whatever caused his twin to have that look in his eyes, so he snapped at the others in the room, "So, does somebody want ta tell me what the fuck is goin' on here? Why did I get a call from me twin- at two in the morning- wantin' me to come over here straightaway?"

At that point, Buffy spoke up. "Well, there was a bit of an incident tonight, which unfortunately resulted in Murphy getting hurt, and it's why we're here now, as a matter of fact."

"WHAT? How the fuck did that happen?!" Conner bellowed angrily, turning to Murphy searching for injuries. Upon seeing the dried blood on his neck, Conner let loose with a torrent of colorful curses alternating between Gaelic, Russian, and Italian.

"That reminds me, Wills, can you go grab the first aid kit, some warm water and a clean cloth, please? I need to clean and cover Murphy's wound." Buffy asked before continuing to explain.

"Sure thing Buff, I'll be back in a jiffy," Willow replied, leaving to fetch the requested items for Buffy.

"So anyway, we'd decided to just walk back here after we left the coffeehouse. And in my opinion we were having a great time just talking and joking around, and as we were making plans for later today, when we heard screaming from an alley not even twenty feet ahead of us. I went to go investigate." Willow returned and handed Buffy the first aid kit and a basin of warm, clean water and a towel. Moving to sit on the coffee table in front of Murphy's chair, Buffy put the first aid kit on the floor at her feet, "If you'll just tilt your head to the right a little please, then I can clean the blood from your wound, ok?" Buffy said softly dipping the cloth into the warm soapy water. As Murphy obliged, tilting his head as requested. Buffy proceeded to clean off the dried blood while finishing the explanation, "So even before we entered the alley, I had an idea of what was going on, and I tried to dissuade Murphy from following me, but as you can see, that didn't work," Buffy said, sharing a knowing look with the Scoobies, "And the further into the alley we got, the more certain I became."

"There was what appeared to be seven people in the alley- a man and a woman, and a second woman unconscious on the ground- and then there were four vampires, two of which had just bitten the victims and were in the process of feeding. I pulled out my stake and proceeded to dust the first vamp before the others noticed. Two of the other vamps attacked me, and while I was busy the third decided to attack Murphy. After hearing a gunshot, I saw Murphy being attacked, and so I had to dust the other two vamps quick, before I could help Murphy."

At that explanation, Conner's expression went from furious, to incredulous, to disbelieving in about four point two seconds.

"Vampires? What are ye insane? There are no such things as vampires!" Conner scoffed.

"Really, and what do you think these are?" Buffy asked pointing to the bite marks on Murphy's neck, before she covered it with a bandage. "Or was he bitten by an angry puppy?"

Conner looked at Murphy, who had been silent thus far. "Well? Is it true? Were ye really attacked and bitten by a real "vampire" then?"

"Aye, I believe they were. But they weren't like anythin' we've ever seen in the movies." At that statement all of the Sunnydalians snorted. "The only thing the movies got right were the fangs. These creatures were different; they had weird foreheads, and scary yellow eyes." Murphy recalled shuddering involuntarily. Seeing his distress, Buffy absently stroked Murphy's arm in a gesture of comfort. And it was not missed by the Scoobies.

Looking at Buffy, Murphy said, "But the thing I don't understand, is how ye knew what they are? Or how they were there; how were ye able to pull that one off o' me? I saw it go sailin' through the air, and then land twenty feet away. How did ye do that?"

Seeing the confusion on Murphy's face, and the skepticism on Conner's, Buffy realized that she would have to explain her Calling, and knowing the complications that would ensue. She heaved a heavy, put upon sigh and said, "I'm a Vampire Slayer."

"Huh? Ye're a what now?" Murphy and Conner asked simultaneously.

"I'm the Vampire Slayer; the "Chosen One"." Buffy replied using air quotes on the latter title. "It's my destiny to hunt and slay the evil things that go bump in the night."

"Will, would you care to make with the 'splainy, since Giles isn't here to tell it?"

"Ok, so this is the thing- The world is older than you know, and contrary to popular belief, it didn't initially start out as a paradise. For untold eons, demons populated the planet, making it their own version of Hell…" Willow began.

As Willow explained, a dismayed expression appeared on both Conner and Murphy's faces. Seriously shaken over the things they were hearing. Everything they'd been taught growing up, everything they'd thought they knew about the world was being turned upside down. Their more basic beliefs were being blown out of the water.

And this was something neither brother had been prepared for.

"So what ye're sayin' is that not only vampires, but ghosts, zombies, and werewolves, and all sorts of varieties of demons are actually real?" Murphy asked, stunned.

"Oh yes, take me for example, I was a vengeance demon for over a thousand years, granting wishes to scorned women the world over, before I got turned into a mortal," Anya added matter-of-factly.

"A vengeance demon? Ye say ye granted wishes to scorned women?" Conner asked, "And what kind of wishes did ye grant exactly?"

Brightening considerably at the thought of being able to talk about her days as a vengeance demon, "Well, there was this time when-"

But as she was about to get into the graphic details, Xander interrupted, "An, honey, please don't scare the nice men with your tales of vengeance demon glory days."

"But he asked; if he didn't want to hear the details, then why did he bother asking?" Anya asked, miffed and sulking at the interruption.

"I still don't understand what this has to do with how ye knowing about vampires, and how ye were able to fight them so easily?" Murphy stated.

"Well, the sales pitch goes something like this- "Into each generation a slayer is born. One girl in all the world, a chosen one. One born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, blah blah blah…" Buffy recited in a bored tone, "Essentially what it means is that I have enhanced senses; accelerated healing abilities; and super strength; and prophetic dreams. And I have the ability to gain almost immediate mastery of just about any weapon that I pick up."

"How is that even possible? Why ye? Ye're such a wee little thing." Conner asked incredulously.

At that remark, both Xander and Willow groaned aloud. They knew that Buffy hated it when people made snide comments about her petite stature, especially in reference to her slaying abilities. At Buffy's narrowed gaze, Willow thought, Oh boy! He's in for it now!

Xander had to stifle the smirk that wanted to appear, knowing that Conner was about to learn a humbling lesson about not judging things that came in small packages.

"Well Conner, since you seem to have a hard time believing it, why don't I give you an example of just what a Slayer can do?" Buffy replied in an icy tone of voice. Walking into the dining nook, Buffy grabbed a dinner chair and brought it into the living room, "Why don't you have a seat in this chair for me?"

Shrugging, Conner complied with the request. Once seated on the chair, Buffy bent forward and placed her hand on the underside of the chair and slowly, but surely raised it over her head with one hand.

Meanwhile Conner was trying his level best not to shriek like a girl, all the while gripping the chair for dear life. Although he'd seen a small display of her strength in the alley, Murphy's jaw was hanging open in awe.

Setting the chair down carefully, she smirked at Conner's lack of pallor and said snarkily, "Any other questions?" At Conner's head shake, she went to sit down in the chair he'd vacated for the demonstration.

Trying to regain his equilibrium and the tattered remains of his dignity, Conner asked trying to keep his voice from squeaking, "And yer sayin' that it's only girls that are chosen as slayers?"

"So when were ye called to do this? And who does the callin'?" Murphy asked.

"Yes, it's only girls that are chosen as slayers, though I don't know why. And I was Chosen when I was fifteen, so I've been doing this for four years now; and I honestly don't know who does the choosing, though I suspect it's the "Powers That Be- or as I like to call them- the Powers That Are Pains In My Ass ."

"Fifteen? Ye've been fightin' evil since ye were fifteen!" Murphy exclaimed.

"Why do you call them that?" Conner asked curious.

"Because of all the crap that I've had to deal with," Buffy replied, "So therefore that's what they deserve to be called."

Turning to the Scoobies, Conner asked, "So what exactly do they do?"

"Well, like Anya said, she was a vengeance demon for over a millennia, so she has knowledge that helps in the Good Fight, Tara and I are witches, so we help out magically, and Xander- He helps with the fighting, and keeping us from going insane by cracking jokes and such. He's the heart of the Scooby Gang." Willow explained.

With their heads spinning from information overload, both Conner and Murphy bid Buffy and her friends goodnight, and went home.

$$$$$$$$$$$ \\\\\\\\\\

The walk back to their own flat was laden with silence; each brother was processing all the things they had learned. Hell, it wasn't everyday that you learned that the supernatural creatures on the television were real; it was quite a mind-blowing discovery.

Before the attack in the alley, if someone would have told Murphy that the supernatural truly existed, he would've laughed and said they had hit the whiskey bottle too hard. But now, faced with the truth about the things that go bump in the night, well to say that he was flabbergasted would be the understatement of the decade.

Conner was also having a hard time believing the things he'd heard that morning, but even more, he was having quite a time dealing with the fact that a young woman that he outweighed by at least fifty pounds had lifted him into the air as if he weighed about as much as a sack of potatoes. It was lowering, but now he knew better than to judge a book by its cover.

As they entered their own flat, Conner went straight to the fridge and grabbed a couple of bottles of beer for himself and Murphy. Handing the bottle to Murph, he sat down on the secondhand sofa in their front room. "So, what d'ye make of all this?" Conner asked Murphy, taking a long pull from his beer.

"I feel like I'm in a dream that I just can't wake up from, but then there's a small part of me that knows this is fer real," Murphy replied, "How the hell d'ye deal with knowing that the monsters and demons are real?!"

"So ye definitely believe all this then?"

"Aye, I was there remember? I know what I saw."

"Shit, I can't think anymore, I'm goin' ta bed!" Conner said as he drained the rest of his beer.

"Aye, meself as well."

They retreated into their respective bedrooms, in the hopes of catching a few hours sleep.

Buffy was on the telephone with Giles, and as expected, he was lecturing her on the point of a secret identity.

"Geez Giles, it wasn't like I wanted him to find out! I was trying to have a nice normal time, it's not like I asked for some vamps to go snacking on some unsuspecting people," Buffy exclaimed, "Would you have rather I let somebody die in order to keep my secret?"

"Absolutely not Buffy, but did you have to tell him that you are the Slayer? And you not only told him, but you deliberately told his brother too," Giles said disapprovingly.

"Well, he was going to tell his brother, regardless, so I just made it easier on myself by explaining it to his brother also. Besides, I highly doubt they're going to go blabbing my secret to the entire world."

"However-,"

"It doesn't matter, even if they did blab, who would believe them? You know as well as I do that most people don't believe that the supernatural truly exists. It's Sunnydale syndrome." Buffy replied.

"Yes well, I suppose it's something of a moot point now, however I must insist that you exercise a modicum of caution where these men are concerned Buffy, I dread to imagine the numerous ways in which this can explode in our faces."

"I know Giles- I promise we'll all be cautious from now on."

"Well then, I suggest you go get some rest now."

"Alright; and I'll call if anything else should arise. Goodnight Watcher-mine."

"Goodnight Buffy, sleep well," Giles said, hanging up the telephone.

After hanging up with Giles, Buffy headed to her bedroom. As she got ready for bed, she couldn't help the disappointment at the night's events. All she'd wanted was to have a nice normal evening, with a normal guy. Was it really too much to ask for?

She was beginning to think that maybe she was cursed in the love department.

Buffy was certain that would be the last she heard from Murphy. She was sure that the revelations of this morning would have him running, screaming into the night. Not that she blamed him.

And that thought saddened her more than she had realized it would- because although she didn't really want to analyze it too much- but she liked Murphy a lot more than she wanted to. It was another reason she resented being the Slayer.

It was difficult enough to be a young woman out on the dating scene, but to add the burden of being the Slayer on top of it; well that was just one crap situation on top of another.

But on the flip side, she was grateful not to be the vapid airhead, Valley Girl cheerleader that she used to be before being Called. And to have the amazing people in her life that she called her friends, well that was an indescribable blessing. Willow, Xander, and Giles all helped to keep her sane in the midst of all the madness.

Crawling into bed, Buffy turned off the light, and snuggled underneath the blankets, hoping that for just once, the PTB would make this ok.

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In another part of the city, Murphy was tossing and turning restlessly in his sleep. The dreams he was having were anything but pleasant. Images of monsters and other creatures of darkness haunting his dreams; and then his dreams abruptly changed- he was standing on the cliffs near his hometown in Ireland, when a soft feminine voice floated like a mist in the air, "You think you know what you are, what's to come, you haven't even begun"- and then new sounds and images flashed into his mind.

He awoke almost violently, chest heaving as he gasped for air, the clanging sound of metal against metal ringing in his ears. And somewhere deep in his subconscious, he understood, although his conscious mind didn't understand the meaning of the dreams. And unbeknownst to him, Conner was having similar dreams.

Later that afternoon, Buffy trudged into the kitchen, hardly taking notice of Willow and Tara. Grabbing for a coffee mug, she went to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup of the steaming hot liquid, before flopping into one of the kitchen chairs.

"Are you alright Buffy?" Willow asked with concern evident in her features.

"Ugh, not really, had some not so pleasant dreams, and therefore didn't sleep all that well," Buffy responded.

"Not pleasant how?" asked Tara.

"Like Slayer type dreams of death, destruction- ya know, the usual. And then I was in the desert again, where the First Slayer tried to kill me in my sleep just after the Adam thing. And I heard it again, the voice saying "You think you know, what you are, what's to come, you haven't even begun." And then there were blurry images of sword fights and lightning."

"Huh, what do you think it meant? Do you think it was a prophetic slayer dream, or just the random craziness that is your brain?" Willow asked.

"I don't know. And that's what's so frustrating about it."

"Well, I don't know if you should be concerned yet or not, but I'd say that you shouldn't worry too much about it, just yet. Although if anything else like it happens, I say call Giles, and have him research it." Willow responded.


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing whatsoever. The BtVS world belongs to Joss and Mutant Enemy; and BDS belongs to Troy Duffy (and whoever else)... No copyright infringement intended. Just borrowing for the purposes of this story. **

**Author's Note: I'd like to thank everyone that took the time to review the previous chapter. It makes me happy that some people are enjoying this story. As my muse is starting to feel up to it, I suspect that the action will start to pick up soon... Fingers crossed...**

**The Day After**

As Buffy sat at the kitchen table nursing her coffee, and doing a spot on impersonation of Angel at his broodiest, Tara and Willow shared a concerned glance.

"So Buff, what do you have on the agenda for today?" Willow asked in a cheerful voice.

Startled out of her contemplative state, Buffy's response was a distracted, "Huh? What?"

"I asked you if you had any plans for the day," Willow reiterated.

"No, not anymore, I don't. There were tentative plans, but that's an obvious no go now," Buffy said trailing off, thinking about the plans she and Murphy had talked about just last night about having a picnic in Central Park with everyone, before the shinola had hit the fan.

Sensing the downturn of Buffy's thoughts, Willow asked, "So do you want to go with Tara and me to the Guggenheim Museum and afterwards to a late lunch? And possibly even some shopping?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. I don't think the museum part is much my thing, but I could definitely do with some retail therapy, and eating is always good."

"Okay then, why don't we get ready, and we'll leave in about half an hour?"

"Sounds like a plan."

When he woke up later that afternoon, Murphy was in a somewhat craptastic mood. He'd had an uneasy sleep, rife with strange and disturbing dreams. And he was still trying to make sense of everything he'd heard at Buffy's.

So, it was just the most obvious solution to go to the one place he'd always gone to when he was confused or troubled- church.

In spite of everything, he still had absolute faith in God. And he knew that God would show him the path he was meant to take.

Getting out of bed, he headed for the bathroom to take a shower before going to church. As he walked to the bathroom, Murphy was unsurprised to see his twin exiting the bathroom they shared, fresh from his own shower.

Turning on the hot water, Murphy then stripped off the boxers he wore, and stepped underneath the pulsing stream of hot water, allowing it to soothe the aches in his body. As he washed his hair and body, he thought of Buffy.

Some of the things that they'd told both Conner and him disturbed him quite a bit, and yet he found himself even more intrigued by Buffy.

Looking at her, one could easily be fooled into thinking she was a stereotypical blonde airhead.

But if you scratched the surface, you'd see an iron core of strength and determination.

He could, on some level, understand the burden she carried. But at least he had his twin to help him through the difficulties of having a certain destiny thrust upon him. Besides, he and Conner had been twenty-seven when their calling came.

Buffy'd only been fifteen years old when she received her calling.

Plucked from normalcy, into a destiny and a fight that no one that young should have had to deal with- and yet…

She did it, along with some friends, that according to traditions, she wasn't meant to have.

He couldn't imagine how difficult his own calling would be if he had had to go it alone.

Knowing just how difficult it could get anyway, it made him all the more thankful to have his twin by his side in all this.

Finishing with his shower, he grabbed his towel, and began to dry himself off, still deep in thought.

Once he was dressed, Murphy headed into the kitchen- where Conner had made coffee- and grabbed himself a cup of coffee. Turning to the little table that occupied the kitchen, he saw his twin reading the newspaper and drinking coffee.

"So, are we goin' to church then?" Conner asked not looking up from the paper.

"Aye."

"Right then, we need ta be getting' a move on then."

As Murphy and Conner were settling themselves in the cool, comforting familiarity of their local church; getting ready to pray for guidance.

Tara, Willow, and Buffy were taking in the sights of the Guggenheim.

At least Tara and Willow were, while Buffy trailed after the Wiccas trying to stifle her boredom.

A museum wasn't on the top of Buffy's list of fun-time activities. Hell, it wasn't anywhere in her top fifty list either, though she was making an effort.

And it sure beat the hell out of brooding; which was something she was definitely trying to avoid doing, because down that path lead self-loathing and recriminations.

After another fifteen minutes of trying to show an interest in the exhibits, Buffy had had enough.

"Will, I'm sorry, but I just cannot get into the whole museum thing, I think I'm just going to head out. I feel the need for immediate retail therapy," Buffy apologized.

"Are you sure Buff?" Willow asked, "We can go with you now, if you want us to?"

"Nah, you two enjoy the museum. We could meet up for a meal a little later, if you want. But, if I stay here any longer, my head may just implode."

"Okay, how bout we meet back at the flat in about two hours, and go from there?"

"Sure, see you two later."

"See you later Buffy." Tara and Willow said as they were waving bye to Buffy.

As Buffy exited the Guggenheim, she sighed in relief happy to be away from there; museums and Buffy were totally un-mixy.

She didn't hate them, per se, it was just that artwork and paintings were more her Mom's idea of a good time, not hers.

Besides, Buffy was more for the doing, rather than looking; not at all interested in events or things long since past- unless it had something to do with weapons. The slayer in Buffy had an unhealthy fixation with weapons. She probably would have enjoyed a weapons exhibit, but aside from that, she would rather spend her time shopping for clothes and shoes any day.

It wasn't long before she found herself window shopping at some of the more outrageously expensive designer shops; dreaming of shopping sprees with unlimited fund-age.

But in reality, she was looking more towards the bargain boutiques and stores with sales. And being the ever resourceful power shopper that she was, she knew she'd be able to find some trendy but affordable clothes, if she kept an ever-watchful eye out.

Soon enough all thoughts of anything but the pursuit of stylish, yet flattering outfits, and equally perfect pairs of shoes left Buffy's head. Any gloomy thoughts were pushed away to be dealt with later.

Across town, Conner and Murphy had left the church in better spirits.

As usual, praying to God had helped to ease Murphy of his emotional turmoil. He felt less burdened by all that he'd learned the previous night.

He knew that God would point them in the right direction. So they headed to their favorite diner to grab a bite to eat.

At Liliane's Old-Fashioned Diner, they headed to one of their favored booths near the picture windows.

When they sat down, one of the waitresses came up to the table, and she took their orders all while flirting with both brothers.

After ordering, Conner asked "So, have ye decided what ye want ta do about Buffy?"

"Aye, I think I'm goin' ta call her in a bit, and see if she's willin' talk ta me," Murphy replied, "And perhaps if she's agreeable ta it, perhaps I can persuade her to allow us to go on a hunt with her."

"I hope that she is agreeable to that, because I would like ta see a real live vampire meself."

"Aye, and I just want Buffy ta know that I don't hate her, nor do I blame her fer my injury. In fact, I'd like to see her as much as she allows me to while she's here."

"Murph, ye need to be careful, I don't want ta see ye get hurt. Ye know she's only here for a little while, and then she has to go home to California. Ye cannot get too involved with the girl," Conner said patiently.

"I hear what ye're saying Conn, I really do. But I cannot help how I feel. There's just something very special about her. And I bet she could understand better than anyone, our calling."

The waitress appeared with their food, and set it down in front of them. After thanking her, the brothers dug into their food. And continuing their conversation, Conner scolded, "Murphy, ye cannot tell her about what we do!"

"Well that wasn't my intention; I'm just saying that she would be someone who could understand what we do!" Murphy said in a pissy tone.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry Murph, I didn't mean to jump all over ye like that."

"Fine, whatever, it's not a big deal."

The brothers finished their meals in relative silence, each ordering dessert afterwards.

As Buffy continued hunting deals, a plaintive grumble from her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten yet today, and it was well past time to rectify the situation as quickly as possible. Leaving the store, she stepped out into the bright sunshine, sliding on a pair of stylish dark sunglasses, and clutching her shopping bags close to her body.

After wandering the busy Manhattan streets, she wandered across a nice looking deli, and decided to grab something to eat there. She placed her order at the counter for a pastrami sandwich with fries and coleslaw, and a large root beer.

When they called up her order, she took it to one of the tables outside to eat.

Taking a huge bite of her sandwich- savoring just how good it was- she watched the foot traffic of the many busy New Yorkers briskly going about their busy lives, hardly noticing anything else around them.

It was a drastic change from Sunnydale, where the pace was slower, more leisurely. But then again, that was the difference between a small town and the city.

If it wasn't for the sometimes painful realization that she would no doubt be stuck in Sunnydale for the rest of her limited existence, Buffy could so see herself moving to New York City, and living the rest of her life here.

A huge part of her was reveling in the hustle and bustle of the city. It was alive, in a way that few places were, and she loved that.

Finishing her meal, she got up to throw away her trash, sated, and to continue shopping- after all, she still had a good hour to go before she met back with the gang at the flat- plenty of shopping time left. Smiling and whistling to herself, she headed to the next store.

Murphy was resolute in his decision to talk to Buffy. He knew he had to do it. He was ready. He was terrified.

It was rather ironic, when you thought about. He could face down mobsters, rapists, gang members, and all other sorts of bad asses, and yet he was terrified of a woman that stood at about five foot three inches, and probably weighed no more than one hundred pounds, soaking wet. Yet she could kick his ass six ways to Sunday if she really wanted to. But that wasn't why he was terrified.

No, if he were to admit it aloud, the reason he was so scared was because she mattered to him. And for the life of him, he couldn't understand why.

He didn't say anything to Conner, because he'd just remind him that she wasn't staying in New York. And he did not want to deal with Conner's pessimism at the moment. Besides, Murphy was sure that Conner knew anyway, it was another one of those freaky twin things that they shared.

Okay, he could do it. He was just going to pick up the phone and call her. Steeling his nerves, he picked up the cordless phone and dialed her number. He waited for Buffy to pick up on the other end of the line. Letting the line ring six times, he was just about to hang up when a breathless voice answered, "Hello?"

"Hi, Buffy?"

"No, she's not in at the moment, may I ask who**'**s speaking?"

"This is Murphy MacManus. Do ye know when she'll be in?"

"Oh hello Murphy, this is Willow. She's out shopping right now, but she should be back in half an hour or so. Did you want to leave a message?"

"Could ye just let her know I called, and that I'll try calling back later," Murphy said disappointed that he hadn't gotten a hold of Buffy.

"Sure thing; though I admit I'm kind of surprised to hear from you, to be honest. How are you doing after last night's revelations?" Willow asked.

"I'm doin' alright. To be truthful, that's what I wanted to talk to Buffy about."

"Hmm, well as I said before, she hasn't come back from shopping."

"So, Willow, do ye guys have plans fer this evening?" Murphy asked, as a plan began to form in his head.

"So far, the only thing planned is going out to dinner tonight. Why do you ask?" Willow asked becoming automatically suspicious.

"Well, here's the thing…"

Buffy got home at around a quarter past five that evening, and found the whole gang already there, waiting for her arrival.

"What's going on guys?" Buffy asked.

"We were just waiting on your arrival, seeing as we had tentative plans for dinner tonight. And Anya and Xander thought they would join us tonight," Willow explained.

"Oh. Sounds good to me, let me just put my bags in my room, and then we'll decide where to eat, okay?"

As Buffy left to put her things away, Xander turned to Willow, "Will, are you sure it's a wise idea to spring Murphy on Buffy unexpectedly? She may not appreciate the interference, you know? Because I got the impression that Buffy wasn't very happy with the way things ended last night."

"Yeah well, that's one of the reasons that I'm doing this. Murphy wants to talk to her, and he isn't sure that she'll listen to him, after everything that went down," Willow said, "Besides, I think she'll be happy that he isn't scared away by last night's revelations."

"Alright, but put me down for a big "I told you so" if this ends up blowing up in your face."

"Fine, whatever you say."

A few minutes later Buffy came back from her room. "So guys, any suggestions on where we should go to eat tonight?"

"Well, what about getting Italian food? I wouldn't mind that," Xander asked, "After all, you can't get it any more authentic than in here in New York, unless you actually go to Italy."

"I am kind of in favor of some Chinese food myself, something very spicy," Anya put in.

"I kinda wanted to try some Indian food, but Italian sounds good too," Willow replied.

"Any of those are fine by me, I really have no preference," Tara said ever the peace-maker, "So Buffy, what type of food did you want?"

"I like Xander's suggestion of Italian food. Nothing like carb-y pasta goodness," Buffy replied.

"So, all in favor of Italian food tonight, raise your hand," Xander asked, as everyone (except Anya) raised their hands. "Well, we should probably go change clothes, or do whatever needs to be done, before we head out to dinner, don't you think?"

"I concur," Willow agreed, thinking she could just make a quick call to Murphy to have him meet them at whatever restaurant they end up going to.

Willow had called to tell him that everyone was going out to dinner at Little Anthony's Trattoria at six thirty, and that he should meet them at the restaurant at around seven fifteen, so that they would be finishing up their dinners, and Buffy would be relaxed, and more receptive to him.

He had agreed to it. He was now rehearsing what he wanted to say to Buffy. He was hoping that she wouldn't be angry with him for just popping up unexpectedly.

God, he was nervous! He didn't want to screw this up, and it was making him feel like a teenager again.

Now all he had to do was wait until it was time to go- looking at the clock- he only had two hours to kill. Not a big deal.

Oh who was he kidding! It was going to be torture!

He definitely had too much time on his hands; and no way to make it pass by quickly enough. He didn't know how he was going to occupy himself until then.

The logical part of his mind told him to go get some dinner before seeing Buffy, but the emotional side of him didn't know if his stomach could handle it, what with the butterflies there already careening madly.

Man, he was behaving like a lovesick fool.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **

Anything recognizable is not, nor has ever been owned by me. Much to my sadness and dismay...

* * *

**So What Happens Now? **

Murphy got to the restaurant at precisely eight forty-five; walking into the restaurant he was immediately greeted by the hostess, "May I help you sir?"

"No thank ye, I'm just meetin' some people here," he responded.

"Well sir if you want, you're welcome to have a look around to see if you can spot them," the hostess replied pleasantly.

"Thanks a lot, I will." He proceeded to wander around the place, searching for the group of Californians.

Murphy saw them sitting at a large booth near the back, having dessert and coffee, while talking. Plucking up his nerves, he made his way towards the table, approaching Buffy from behind. She was in the middle of saying something when everyone else's eyes moved to him.

Buffy stopped talking; turning to see what had everyone's attention. Seeing Murphy approach the table, she couldn't keep the gob-smacked expression off her face. However as soon as she realized it, her face became a blank mask. "What are you doing here?"

"I came here ta talk ta ye, but I wasn't sure if ye'd want ta talk ta me," Murphy answered hesitantly.

Though Buffy was surprised to see Murphy; she felt a faint stirring of hope too. Because if he came all the way here to speak to her after all he'd learned, then maybe, he hadn't been scared off by the previous night's confessions.

Keeping her face expressionless- not wanting to give away what she was feeling- Buffy asked, "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"First off, I wanted ta thank ye for rescuing me from that vampire. But, I also didn't want ye thinking that I blamed ye fer what happened last night, because I don't," Murphy apologized, "I felt that I needed ta ye tell that face to face."

"Well, I appreciate it. It's feels nice to have my efforts acknowledged for once," Buffy remarked. "Why don't you sit down and we can continue this, alright?"

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Murphy sat down in a seat by Buffy at the table. "So, how was yer dinner? Is this place any good?"

"Yeah, it was fabulous. But that's not really what you wanted to discuss, was it?" Buffy interrupted, wanting to cut through the murk.

Both Willow and Xander knew that tone of voice from Buffy, with some subtle prompting to their significant others, they gathered their stuff, left money to pay for their dinners, and then got up to leave, so that Buffy and Murphy could talk in private.

* * *

Once the others were gone, Buffy gave Murphy a piercing stare. "So, what was it you wanted to talk about exactly?"

"I wanted ta talk about what happened last night. Now, I'll admit that I was quite shaken about what I heard last night, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it ta be honest, but then I went ta church this morning, and I feel a lot clearer about some things, and I knew that I had ta speak ta ye again."

"So what sort of epiphany did you come up with?" Buffy prompted.

Murphy earnestly explained, "See the thing is: I like ye. More than I expected ta, to be honest; and even knowing that ye're not here fer long, I'd like ta spend as much time with ye as ye'll allow, gettin' ta know ye."

Buffy felt a moment of intense happiness at Murphy's statement, and she was doing the mental equivalent of the Snoopy Dance.

She knew it was stupid to be this happy about Murphy's confession, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She liked him a lot too. Even more, the Slayer in her approved of him as a suitable Alpha male.

It was strange how he made her feel so many different things, in a way that she'd never thought possible. Not even Angel brought out this sense of completion, of rightness, and she'd loved him so much.

"I was hoping you would say something like that," she confessed, "Because as it happens, I feel the same way. And I know it's crazy; that I hardly know you, but I can't help the way I feel."

"_**Really?!**_ That's so great. I'm not sure what's goin' ta happen between us Buffy, but I do know that ye're like no other woman I've ever met. And it's not just because of the slayer thing either. I would have ta say that ye're truly one of a kind, Buffy Summers."

Blushing from the compliment, she asked, "So what happens now? Where do we go from here?"

"Well, I was hopin' ye'd let me walk ye back ta ye're apartment, fer starters," Murphy requested with a hopeful expression in his eyes.

"I'd like that very much," Buffy consented happily.

* * *

After leaving the restaurant, they made their way towards Buffy's apartment, talking and enjoying the companionship the other provided. And at some point during the walk, Murphy took hold of Buffy's hand, lacing their fingers together, grinning in delight when she didn't pull her hand away.

"So, I was wonderin' if you wanted ta have that picnic in the park tomorrow like we had discussed last night," Murphy asked. "And I know it's a lot ta ask, but I was hopin'- if it's alright with ye- that maybe Connor and I could go with ye on a hunt for vampires some night before ye leave? He wants ta see ye in action, and I wouldn't mind seein' it again."

"Way to segue," Buffy deadpanned. "I don't know. I'm trying to avoid active patrolling while I'm on holiday, you know? Why don't you give me some time to think about it, okay?"

"That's fine, I don't want ye ta feel pressured into takin' us on a hunt with ye, or anythin'. But I'd still like ta have that picnic though, regardless of yer decision."

As they made their way back to her apartment, Murphy asked, "So, how much longer are ye goin' ta be here fer?"

"We've got ten more days of vacation, before it's time to head back to Sunnyhell."

"Sunnyhell? Why do ye call yer hometown that?"

"It's because of all the bad things that tend to migrate to Sunnydale."

"What sorts of bad things?"

"Vampires and demons, werewolves, invisible people, you know your everyday oogly booglies," she said wryly, "So in spite of it's rather cheerful sounding name of Sunnydale- which is a misnomer, by the way- the town I live in sits on a convergence of mystical energy, very dark energy."

Pausing a moment in an effort to properly describe Sunnydale. "Apparently the Spanish settlers had a name for Sunnydale, "La Boca del Infierno" which translates to 'The mouth of hell'. It's literally a gateway to hell, or at the very least to one of many hell dimensions… so evil and the evil dead tend to favor Sunnydale."

Murphy was incredulous. He couldn't believe that people would willingly live someplace where evil things roamed so freely. It was crazy. "Are ye serious? And even knowing this, people still choose to live there? Why would they do that? Fuck! Why do ye live there?"

"Because as the slayer; I have an obligation to protect people from the dangers of that evil, and the Hellmouth is, for lack of a better analogy, the undead and/or evil things favorite party town. Besides, most people either don't know, or refuse to believe that such things actually exist. I mean, if you hadn't actually had firsthand experience of being attacked by a vampire, would you believe it?"

Murphy shook his head in the negative.

"You wouldn't believe all the incidents of trouble with gangs on PCP, or all the accidents with barbeque forks or wild animals that Sunnydale has. It's amazing… people's capacity for rationalizing the things they do see, and intentionally forgetting what they can't. The gang and I call it "Sunnydale Syndrome", because that's how bad it is. The whole town suffers from this particular affliction. So whenever the latest creature feature gets the idea to bring about the destruction of the human race, the Scoobies unite to prevent whatever the latest apocalypse attempt is," Buffy continued.

"What do ye mean the latest apocalypse? I thought the apocalypse was a one time occurrence? Just how many times have ye prevented an apocalypse?" Murphy wondered.

"Well, the first attempt was when I was sixteen, when the Master was prophesized to escape his prison and create hell on earth; and the next year was when I had to prevent the world from being sucked into hell, via portal. Then there was the time during senior year when the Sisterhood of Jhe tried to bring about the apocalypse; and during graduation, when the Mayor of Sunnydale ascended to full demon status, and he tried to eat the graduating class, which included me, but I don't think that counts as a full-on apocalypse, since it would have been more localized, but I'd have to ask Giles about that," Buffy recalled.

"And then there was this thing in the middle of freshmen year of college, when a couple of demons tried to open the Hellmouth; and about five weeks ago, when this Frankenstein monster called Adam tried to create an army of demon/cyborg hybrids from hell. Again I don't know if that counts as a full-on apocalypse. But of course, we kicked that ass! That's pretty much it so far," Buffy concluded.

If Murphy thought he'd been shocked before, it was nothing compared to what he was feeling now. By his count, Buffy and her friends had averted anywhere from four to six apocalypse attempts so far. Murphy had always understood that the Apocalypse was supposed to be singular event. But according to Buffy, it was a yearly occurrence. This blew his mind; it made the calling that he and Connor had seem insignificant in comparison.

"Jesus, Joseph, and Mary! The surprises just keep a-comin' with ye, don't they? How do ye fuckin' cope with it?"

"Well, it isn't like I have much of a choice, you know? Someone has to do it, and unfortunately, I drew the short straw… so it falls to me," Buffy sighed in resignation, "But honestly, I could have had it so much worse. I have my family and friends to keep me sane. There was another slayer, Kendra who was raised by her watcher, and she was so rigid and by the book: a textbook Slayer. Yet it didn't prevent her from being killed almost a year after she was called. And the next girl- Faith, well she was way messed up even before she was called, so when she came to Sunnydale things happened, and we didn't even realize just how messed up she was until it was much too late, and that ended so very badly."

As Buffy was talking, something that she'd said occurred to Murphy. "I thought ye said that there was only one slayer at a time? How do ye know about the other slayers? I thought it was a "Chosen One"? Ye said that the only time another slayer was called was when the previous one died--" As the meaning of what Buffy was saying hit home, disbelief colored his voice, "Does that mean what I think it means?"

Buffy winced at her gaffe. "And what do you think it means?"

"It means that ye died, right? How is it possible? If ye died, how are ye still standing here?"

"I only died for a minute," she said defensively, "See… there was a prophecy saying that I would face the Master, and that he would kill me. I tried to quit being the Slayer; an incident occurred at my school, and let's just say that someone I care about deeply was traumatized by those events in a major way, and I realized that I couldn't run away from my destiny; so I went to confront the Master, where I attempted to fight him and lost." Buffy recalled rather numbly. "After he drank from me, he dropped me into a shallow pool, but luckily Xander and Angel found me mere moments later, and Xander brought me back using CPR. The Master and I faced off again on the roof of the high school; but I won that time. Suffice it to say, that incident lead to some serious issues on my part, and some bitchy behavior on my part… none of which I'll not be divulging, ever."

"My God Buffy, ye've lead quite a traumatic life so far, haven't ye?" Murphy exclaimed. Then trying to lighten the mood he joked, "Although I must say that ye're lookin' pretty spry fer a corpse."

At that comment Buffy managed to snort in an unladylike fashion. "You're not wrong there."

* * *

Standing at Buffy's door, there was a moment of awkwardness between the two. Trying to fill the silence, Murphy said lamely, "So, I guess this is goodnight, yeah?"

"It seems that way. So, are we still on for the picnic tomorrow?"

"Aye, I'd like that. Do ye think ye're friends'll be up fer it?"

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll be all for it. And if there's lots of food involved, Xander will definitely be all for it."

"What shall we do about the food then?"

"I think I know the perfect place to the get the food from. Just be here at around noon tomorrow, and we'll head out from here, okay?"

"Aye; is there anything that we should bring?"

"Nope. Just bring yourselves and all should be good."

"Alright, see ye tomorrow. Goodnight Buffy."

"Goodnight Murphy. Be careful on your way home."

As Murphy walked away, Buffy came to a decision, calling out, "Murphy!"

Turning back around, he saw Buffy was stalking towards him. "Did ye need something Buffy?"

"Yeah, I did," Buffy declared, pulling him closer, she rose onto her tiptoes, boldly kissing him.

Murphy was stunned at first, though he soon responded in kind, encircling her in his arms; he lifted her firmly against him deepening the kiss.

Buffy's reaction was wrapping her legs around his waist giving in to the wanton need flooding inside her. As he pulled away, she mewled in protest. Buffy murmured into Murphy's ear, "Don't go… stay with me tonight?"

Looking deep into Buffy's eyes, Murphy saw the flames of desire and need burning there, but he had to be certain, "Are ye sure about this Buffy? Because I won't take this any further unless ye're absolutely certain that ye want this."

"I'm one hundred percent sure. I want you, and I've pretty much wanted this from the moment we met," Buffy purred huskily.

With Buffy still wrapped around him, Murphy maneuvered them towards her apartment. Fumbling for the doorknob, he tried to open the door all while attempting to maintain their kiss, and holding onto Buffy with only one arm wrapped around her waist.

Buffy broke the kiss just long enough to tell Murphy which bedroom was hers.

Inside her bedroom, she slid down Murphy's body enticingly. Locking her door, she moved them towards the bed before kissing him again. Wrapping her in his arms, Murphy marveled at how well their bodies fit together. The kiss itself was hot and intoxicating.

Letting her hands drift down to the hem of his tee shirt, Buffy tugged it loose from his jeans, as she broke the kiss. Pushing the shirt up his torso she left a trail of light kisses on the warm exposed flesh. He had a lean build, with softly defined muscles. And while he didn't have the chiseled six-pack abs, he was very sexy nevertheless.

Murphy managed to get his shirt off with a bit of help from Buffy, he helped Buffy with the removal of her top, before reaching down to help divest her of the trousers she was wearing. As she stood close to naked before him, he paused in order to properly admire her petite athletic build, and the smooth bronzed skin that covered every inch of her. She was so very beautiful, but not to the point of where she would be intimidating.

Quickly shedding his jeans, Murphy lowered Buffy onto the bed following her down, raining down kisses on her neck and collarbone, as his hands skimmed down her sides, exploring. He pressed butterfly kisses along her jaw line, eliciting a soft moan from her. With the occasional nip of teeth, he continued kissing his way down.

She was burning, and couldn't bring herself to care if she went up in flames. Every bone in her body was melting under the tender, teasing onslaught. The need to couple was so fierce, that Buffy thought she'd go crazy if it didn't stop teasing her.

As Murphy positioned himself between her thighs, he waited until her lust-filled eyes focused on him before entering her. She cried out in wanton abandon, arching underneath him. He took her with long slow thrusts, reveling in the whimpered moans, and gasping cries. He watched her face as she reached peak after peak of pleasure, and finally came with a ragged shout.

Buffy was in ecstasy. It was almost too much to bear, and just when she thought she had had enough, he took her to another level of pleasure. Never before had she been loved like this, and if she died right now, hell she'd at least die one supremely satisfied woman. When at last she came, she shouted out, not caring who heard her.

As her body tightened around him, Murphy could feel his control slipping away, his thrusts coming harder, faster, and deeper, as he neared his own release.

She felt the need within her rise yet again as his thrusts came quicker and deeper. As his body trembled, Buffy instinctively knew that he was close to the edge, so she spurned him on by wrapping her legs around him, clenching her inner muscles, and soon they tumbled over the edge of the metaphorical cliff simultaneously.

So wrapped in each other, were Buffy and Murphy, that neither one noticed as a deep golden glow enveloped the both of them.

* * *

***Somewhere in a mystical plane***

The Oracles look into the Mirror of Destiny, watching as two 'Warriors for the Light' come together.

"So it has begun, Sister. Our 'Chosen' Champion has found her one true mate: one of the 'Hands of Divine Justice'."

"Yes, my Brother. We shall see if they can bear the burdens of what is to come."

"Pray then, that when the time comes, the choices they make will not be in vain."

"It is not ours to say, Brother. Ours is to follow the will of the Supreme Power."

"And so it shall be done."

* * *

Buffy sighed contentedly, every ounce of tension gone. "Wow! That was amazing… just wow!"

"Aye, it really was," Murphy agreed yawning.

Snuggling closer to Murphy, Buffy yawned as well, "I'm tired. I think its sleepy time now. Are you going to stay?"

Murphy spooned Buffy's body to his in answer. "Aye, if that's what you want me to do."

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't want it, silly," Buffy admonished.

Burying his face in the hair at her neck, breathing in her scent of cinnamon and vanilla, Murphy closed his eyes murmuring, "Okay, then I want to. Goodnight muirin."

"Goodnight Murphy."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Buffy may seem rather OOC, but it's necessary for the sake of the plotline. Please just bear with me.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing, thanks...

**Author's Note**: 

This has been revised to the best of my limited abilities. And there may or may not be some changes to the bulk of the chapter, hopefully the changes are on the positive side…

* * *

**Good Morning Beautiful:**

Good morning beautiful

How was your night?

Mine was wonderful with you by my side

When I open my eyes

And see your sweet face

It's a good morning beautiful day

_**Good Morning Beautiful- Steve Holy **_

* * *

Buffy awoke to the feel of the sunlight on her face. Trying to resist waking completely, she became aware of something else: that she was being watched. Opening her eyes, she turned her head to see Murphy gazing down at her, with a slight smile on his face.

Surprised and happy that he was still there, she smiled. "Good morning."

Still watching her, Murphy replied, "Good mornin' muirin. How are you feeling? Did you sleep alright?"

"I slept just fine, thanks. How about you, did you sleep alright?"

"Slept like a baby, I did. Very sound and peaceful night's sleep, although the morning is looking to shape up quite well, too." Murphy answered, still watching her.

Feeling slightly self-conscious under his intense gaze, she reached up to touch her hair in mild panic, "What? Do I have funny bed hair?"

Shaking his head, "No, you look beautiful."

Blushing at the compliment, she raised herself up to check the clock, and seeing the time she commented, "Wow, it's later than I thought… I suppose we should be getting up soon."

"Yes, I suppose we should. Especially if we want ta have that picnic today."

Groaning at the thought of getting out of bed, Buffy flopped back down on the bed. Laying her head on his chest, she playfully whined, "Do we hafta? I think I'd rather stay right here."

Letting her hand drift up his thigh teasingly, eliciting a soft groan from Murphy, as she wrapped her hand around his morning erection, giving it a gentle squeeze. "What is this? Somebody is certainly awake," smirking as she said; "Now that is what I call a morning salute."

Murphy maneuvered her onto her back, "Yer evil, woman."

Deciding that turnabout was fair play, he brought his own hand down to stroke her inner thigh with feather light caresses, occasionally brushing her center, only to pull away whenever she shifted closer. He brought his mouth down on hers, smothering the soft keening moans. She shivered as his tongue trailed down the side of her neck. She cried out, arching when his mouth closed over her breast, her fingers digging into the sheets.

The heat of her was all-consuming, he was helpless against the insatiable need building within him, moving to her other breast, and he teased the nipple with his tongue until it was a hard peak.

The energy pumping off her was an almost tangible force, so great was her wanting. Crooning nonsensically, urging him to take her. When at last her self-control snapped, she flipped him onto his back, throwing her leg over his waist and straddling him, before lowering down onto his erection, filling herself with him.

Oh dear god it was like being consumed, Murphy thought. He watched as she rode him slowly and ruthlessly, beads of sweat forming on her body. He watched as she shuddered as the first climax ripped through her.

Still feeling the effects of her first climax, Buffy continued to move faster, riding him with a desperate frenzy- beyond thought, beyond reason; as she pushed him closer to the shimmering edge of release, everything else forgotten… everything but the fierce need driving her.

Murphy matched her thrust for thrust, glorying in the sensations. Shouting out as he came, he emptied himself into her. He watched as the second climax hit her. She slumped forward, spent. She lay on his chest, purring in satisfaction.

* * *

They emerged from her room over an hour later, both freshly showered. Upon entering the kitchen, Buffy wasn't surprised to see everyone there eating breakfast. Tara was at the stove making pancakes. Making a beeline for the coffee pot, Buffy grabbed a mug and filled it, handing it to Murphy before getting some for herself, pointedly ignoring the looks she was receiving from everyone.

"Would either of you like some pancakes?" Tara asked, smiling shyly at them.

"Yes please. I'm ravenous," Buffy piped up.

"I would, if ye don't mind goin' ta the trouble," Murphy said, "Do ye have any sugar fer the coffee?"

"Yeah, let me get it for you," Buffy said, heading over to the cabinet where such things were kept. Grabbing the sugar container, handing it to Murphy, "Did you want any cream for your coffee?"

"Yes, please."

She went to the refrigerator to grab the half & half for Murphy. As she handed it to him, she casually brought up the picnic, "So guys, how would you feel about having a picnic in Central Park today?"

"That sounds like a great idea. It's supposed to be a really nice day too," Willow said.

"We could get a football or soccer ball, or maybe a Frisbee to take along with us," Xander mentioned, "Or maybe some water guns."

"Yeah, that sounds like fun."

"So what are we going to do about food though?" Tara asked, "Do you want to go to the store and buy some stuff for sandwiches, or do we buy something from a deli?"

"I was thinking we ought to buy from a deli. And I had this fabulous pastrami sandwich yesterday at a deli near Central Park. I really recommend using them," Buffy said.

"Fine by me. What time do we want to go?" asked Xander.

"I was thinking around one o'clock, that way we can go get the food and then head over to the park, does that sound alright?" Buffy replied.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Willow said. "I know that I'm excited. And maybe later on, we can go to the zoo in Central Park."

Feigning a look of confusion, Xander asked, "There's a zoo in the park? I didn't know that. When did they put a zoo in the park?"

Willow just rolled her eyes at Xander, while Buffy asked incredulously, "You mean to tell me you've never heard of the Central Park Zoo, Xander?"

"No, why? Is there a reason I should have?"

"For cryin' out loud Xand, it's only one of the more well known tourist attractions in New York City," Buffy exclaimed.

"Xander, quit being silly. You know that there is, I've mentioned it before, when my parents took me with them on one of their book tours here when I was younger, and we actually had family time at the zoo. Don't joke with Buffy like that," Willow scolded him.

At the glare Buffy was sending him, Xander held up his hands, "I was just joking with you Buff, no need to give me the Slayer death glare."

At the sound of chuckling, Buffy whirled around to see Murphy smirking at her. Throwing him a baleful look, caused Murphy to laugh outright. So she changed tactics and gave him the sure-fire, patented Buffy Summers pout.

Oh boy, Murphy thought, that pout should be registered as a lethal weapon… it was in a class by itself; and he had seen some good ones growing up with his younger cousins Maeve, and Keeley. Pulling her to him for a hug, he apologized for laughing at her. She returned the hug with a contented sigh.

Meanwhile the gang watched the exchange with varying degrees of interest. Willow and Tara thought it was sweet. Anya wanted to say something about the sex that they had so clearly had, but she knew Xander would probably scold her about it, so she said nothing. Xander however, decided to put in his two cents, "Looks like someone's been hit by the Buffinator, and is down for the count."

At that comment, Buffy just stuck her tongue out at Xander, earning laughs from the others. "Are you going to call Connor soon? Have him meet us here, or should he just meet us at the deli a little later?"

"I'm just goin' ta have him come here, as I need him ta bring me some clothes," Murphy replied, "I should probably do that now; and let him know what the plans are."

"Okay, then we'll leave you to it, by the time you get back, breakfast should be ready," Tara told Murphy, as Buffy, Willow, and Anya watched him leave for the living room and the telephone.

The moment Murphy walked out of the room, Willow pounced, "So it happened? You slept with him, right? How was it? Was it amazing?"

"Oh no! I don't want or need to hear about this. Please, for the love of God, don't say anything, I'm begging you!" Xander exclaimed practically running out of the kitchen.

Xander left the kitchen with a reluctant Anya following after him, when Buffy moved to sit and dish the details of the previous night's activities.

"Yes Willow, to answer your question, we slept together. And it was beyond amazing. I hafta say, that the man has got stamina," Buffy confided, "It made the time with Riley and jerky Parker pale by comparison. The only other time that could compare, was my first time with Angel. And that was wonderful because it was with Angel, and we loved each other so much."

"Aww, that's so sweet! What's going to happen now?" Willow asked.

"I figured that I'd just play it by ear. I'm not going to read too much into this; I'm going to enjoy this for what it is: a great summer fling."

"I don't mean to be a killjoy, but what are you going to do about Riley? Are you going to break it off with him or are you going to stay with him? Are you even going to tell him about Murphy?"

"I don't know Will. A small part of me wants to work it out with him; and yet there's a bigger part of me that just can't get over the fact that he couldn't tell it was me, when Faith slept with him in my body. How could he not tell that it wasn't me in there? Especially with the way she was acting- seriously, have I ever come off as skanky as that? And no, I won't tell him about Murphy, ever. I happen to think that whatever happens on holiday, should stay on vacation," she said decisively, "Besides, what purpose would it serve to tell him?"

"So does that mean you're going to break up with him?"

"I'll figure that out when we go home. I just don't want to have such serious thoughts while I'm on vacation."

Tara placed the plates of pancakes on the table when Murphy walked back into the kitchen. Taking a seat at the table he announced, "Connor is on his way over now. He's looking forward ta the picnic as well."

After having said that, both he and Buffy dove into the plate of pancakes that Tara made for them- with Murphy literally drowning his in maple syrup, and eating with gusto.

* * *

Over the next ten days Buffy, the Scoobies, and the MacManus brothers spent most of their time together.

Murphy and Connor got a kick out of sightseeing with Buffy and her friends. Admittedly, both brothers had lost that sense of wonder about all the things New York had to offer a long while ago, so seeing all the tourist attractions from the visitors' perspective was refreshing. They had visited the Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, the Lincoln Center, etc. Connor and Murphy also took them to some of the local spots that wouldn't be in the tourist guidebooks.

For the MacManus men, the most interesting thing had been when Buffy finally relented, and took both he and Connor with her and the Scoobies on a patrol of the local cemeteries, in search of vamps about to rise or the ones who were living within the mausoleums or nearby. She also took them to one of the local demon bars, looking for information- and boy had that been a daunting experience- but it was something neither Murphy nor Connor would ever forget.

The end of their vacation came quicker than Buffy would have liked, but it wasn't unexpected. The night before she and the Scoobies were to go back to California was difficult for her. She and Murphy had grown quite close during the time they had spent together, and she had fallen (at least a little bit) in love with him. But she was determined not to say anything about it, knowing that it was pointless and futile.

Meanwhile, Murphy was also upset about Buffy's upcoming departure. Unbeknownst to her, Murphy had also fallen in love, even knowing that she had to go home. A very large part of him wanted to beg her to stay, but the sensible part of him (the voice that sounded an awful lot like Connor's) knew that she couldn't. He knew that she had a destiny to fulfill, just like he did.

So all he could do was pray that someday soon, when his and Connor's mission as the Saints was completed, he would be able to find her again, and have some type of relationship with her. And he would be able to tell her the complete truth about them and their life as the Saints…


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER:** I Don't Own Any Of It.

* * *

**Late August:**

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.

Buffy never knew the ticking of a clock could sound so ominous… until now. Nervously pacing the cramped confines of the only bathroom in the house on Revello Drive, she impatiently awaited the results of the pregnancy test, on the verge of a panic attack. She anxiously looked at her watch for the umpteenth time, dismayed to see that only two minutes had gone by. Three more agonizing minutes left until the results would be revealed.

Different emotions were running amok in her head, causing a confused jumble of thoughts- but the foremost one being denial, followed closely by hysteria.

_**Please let this be a nightmare. Oh God, please let me wake up now! What am I going to do?!? I just can't be pregnant! I just can't!**_ Buffy thought, frantic. _**What's Giles going to say? My mother is so going to have kittens!!!**_

At that precise moment, the alarm on Buffy's watch chimed.

Beyond terrified, Buffy shakily reached for the small plastic strip that would tell her whether or not her life would change once again. Removing the cap from the test- raising it to eye level- she felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. The answer was there in mockingly bright pink letters: pregnant.

Lowering herself down onto the edge of the tub, Buffy tried to comprehend the full impact of what this meant for her life now. As the tears started to spill over, Buffy tried to take some deep, calming breaths to slow down her thundering heart.

What the hell am I going to do?! I'm only nineteen years old. I can't have a baby right now! I'm not ready for this! I'm the frickin' slayer… How the _**hell**_ am I going to be able to patrol and slay if I'm pregnant?

After several minutes spent breathing deeply, she stood up, somewhat calmer and almost steady. She gathered the plastic test strip, the box it came in, and stuffed it into the paper bag from the drug store. Making sure to remove all evidence of what she had been doing, so her mother wouldn't find out until Buffy was ready to tell her.

Walking into her bedroom, Buffy made the call to Giles, telling him that she needed to speak with him immediately, and that she would be over within fifteen minutes. After hanging up the telephone, she gathered up her purse and keys; heading downstairs and out the door.

* * *

**Giles' POV:**

Buffy just called; she said she needed to speak with me straightaway. She sounded quite upset. I wonder what could possibly be so urgent. I've a feeling that whatever it is, that I won't be particularly happy about it; and that fills me with apprehension.

Buffy seemed so distraught… I'll try to be as supportive as I can. I may get upset, but that would never stop me from loving her. She and the other Scoobies are my heart-children, as it is unlikely that I will ever have children of my own. So, come what may, I will stand by her no matter what. I should probably get some tea ready. I find it easier to cope when I have a good cup of tea on hand to help steady me, and I imagine Buffy could use something steadying if what she has to tell me is so dire.

* * *

As Buffy approached Giles' front door, she could feel the butterflies careening around in her stomach. Wiping her damp palms on her jeans, she brought her right hand up to knock on Giles' door rather than barge right in, which is something that she normally would do. But, as she was trying to prolong the inevitable confession for as long as possible, she knocked on his door instead. Waiting nervously for him to answer the door; she could hear Giles' footsteps on the other side of the door.

Buffy could see the surprise on Giles' face when he saw her standing there. He clearly hadn't been expecting her to knock on the door. If she hadn't been so agitated, she would have gotten a laugh at his gob-smacked expression, but as of that moment, all she could do was offer him a wan smile, as he gestured her inside the flat. Sitting down on the sofa, Buffy gathered up her courage to tell Giles her news.

"Would you like a cup of tea, Buffy?" Giles asked as he waited patiently for Buffy to say whatever was on her mind.

Nodding, Buffy took a deep breath, and then plunged right in, "I guess you're wondering what was so urgent that I had to see you straightaway, am I right?"

"I must admit, that I'm quite curious as to what it is you have to tell me. But, I don't want to rush you, so tell me whenever you feel ready, Buffy."

"I'm pregnant."

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

"I'm pregnant, Giles."

"Oh dear lord." Pulling out a handkerchief, he whipped off his glasses and started to give them a vigorous cleaning. Looking at Buffy, wanting to confirm the news, "Are you quite sure about this Buffy? Maybe you're mistaken."

"I wish that were the case. But, I've been feeling nauseous for the past week, and for the last three days, I've been throwing up in the morning, and coupled with the fact that I haven't had my period yet this month, I'm pretty sure what it means. Besides, I went to the drug store and got a home pregnancy test, and it came up positive. I could show you if you'd like."

"No, no, that's quite alright, I will take your word for it," Giles answered hastily, "Does anyone else know yet? Have you told your mother yet?"

"No, nobody else knows yet. Mom has been out of town, visiting with my Aunt Darleen, so she has no idea. I'm absolutely terrified of telling my mom. She's going to freak out big time!" Buffy confessed, "What am I going to do Giles? I'm only nineteen, plus I'm the slayer, how the hell am I going to be able to raise a baby?"

"So, you are planning on keeping the baby? Because you know that there are several options available to you, right?"

"I do, but I can't really make a decision about what to do until I talk to my mother. But, if I'm honest with myself, I think that I would keep it, because I don't think that abortion is an option for me, and I don't think I could give my baby up for adoption."

"Well, whatever you do decide Buffy, just know that I am behind you one hundred percent," Giles told her.

Overcome with emotion, Buffy threw her arms around Giles in a hug, and at first, he just patted her awkwardly on the back, but that slowly gave way to a genuine hug.

"We must get you an appointment with a doctor as soon as possible, so that you can be checked out, and see how far along you are, and such," Giles thought aloud, "And you should let the others know as well. I've no doubt that they will help you patrol as your pregnancy progresses."

"I suppose so. I'm just trying not to think about it too much, you know?" Buffy responded, "I'm still trying to process this all."

"I understand. Are you hungry? I could prepare lunch for the both of us if you'd like?"

"I could eat, but nothing too heavy though, I never know when the sickness will occur, so I don't want to consume anything too heavy."

"Alright, would you care to give me a hand?"

"Sure thing Giles, whatever you want."

* * *

So, as they prepared lunch together, each caught up in their own thoughts.

Giles took the news a hell of a lot better than I thought he would, Buffy thought with some relief. One less hurdle to jump; now if only telling my mother would be this easy.

Oh this is absolutely bloody brilliant: a pregnant slayer. This was definitely not in the handbook. We're going to have some serious problems to contend with. But, I will support Buffy throughout this whole ordeal no matter what, just like I promised, Giles thought.

Throughout lunch, Giles and Buffy studiously avoided discussing her pregnancy, just talking about superficial topics, comfortable enough with each other to not have any awkward silences. As they were finishing their meal, Willow and Xander came through the front door.

"Hey Buffy, Giles, what are you guys doing?" Willow asked noticing the dirty dishes on the table, "Did you two just finish having lunch?"

"Ah, Willow, Xander, it's good that you're here. Buffy and I need to discuss something with the two of you, and it is rather important, so if you both will just have a seat, we will discuss it in a moment, after Buffy and I have cleaned up our mess."

"What do we need to talk about? Is it serious? It sounds serious," Xander asked with concern, "Is it about a new big bad?"

"No, it is something else entirely, but we'll talk momentarily."

"Alrighty then, whatever you say Giles."

Throughout the initial questioning, Buffy avoided the others, cleaning up the remains of lunch off the table. She was very nervous, unsure how Xander and Willow would take her news, so she tried to keep her mind off the upcoming topic and avoided the others in order to stave off any and all questions for as long as possible.

Once everything was cleaned, Buffy and Giles joined the rest of the Scoobies in the living room. Taking a seat in the armchair- with Buffy perched on the arm of the chair- Giles began. "Buffy, would you like to tell them? It is your news, and I think that you should be the one to tell it, I'll be right here for moral support."

Standing up, Buffy took a deep breath, and then plunged in with both feet, "Well, lately I haven't been feeling all that well, and for the last three days I've been sick in the mornings. It occurred to me that I'm late, so I went to the drug store for a test, and the results came up positive."

Willow's face reflected the shock she was feeling at this revelation, but Xander looked like he hadn't cottoned on. So Buffy said, "I'm pregnant."

"Goddess, Buffy, what are you going to do? Have you even told your mom? What are you going to do about the slaying?" Willow asked, concerned for her best friend.

"No, I haven't told my mom yet, she's still visiting my aunt, and won't be home for another couple of days," Buffy said, "But, I so do not look forward to her reaction."

"Have you gone to the doctor's yet to confirm this? I could go with you to the campus clinic if you wanted later today or tomorrow- if you don't want to go to your own doctor that is," Willow said, determined to support and help her best friend in any way she could.

"That would be great, I really appreciate that Will. I don't know if I could handle going there alone. Maybe we can go later today?" Buffy thanked, touched and grateful for Willow's immediate acceptance of this new complication.

Meanwhile, Xander had yet to say anything, so Buffy was a little concerned about his lack of reaction to her news. "You okay there Xander?"

Emerging from his stupor, Xander noticed everyone staring at him with varying degrees of concern. "Huh? What? Why is everyone staring at me?"

"We were wondering if you were all right, as it seems you've been in a stupor for the past several minutes," Giles said amused.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little stunned is all," Xander replied.

"Are you sure you're okay Xander?" Buffy questioned.

"I'm sure Buffy," Xander confirmed, "So, what's going to happen now?"

"Well, the first thing is going to the clinic to make absolutely sure. And if it is positive once again, then I'll have to tell my mom, and I do not look forward to her reaction to this particular news. But, I guess once all that is settled, we'll figure it all out what to do next," Buffy answered.

"Okay then, now that that has been decided, perhaps we should reconvene after Buffy and Willow return from the clinic?" Giles asked. All three responded with an affirmative, as they all left his flat.

* * *

**UC-Sunnydale Health Clinic:**

As Buffy sat in the exam room, on edge, she'd already did the whole peeing in a cup thing, which had been so embarrassing, and now she was waiting for the doctor to come in with the results. She was getting restless and impatient. After what felt like forever, the doctor finally entered the room. "Hello Miss Summers, how are you feeling today?"

"Honestly? I am freaking out right about now. So, what's the deal doctor? Am or aren't I?" Buffy demanded bluntly, not willing to beat around the bush.

The doctor cleared his throat and then replied, "It would seem that a 'congratulations' is in order then." The doctor continued on, oblivious to Buffy's reaction to the confirmation. "Now, we need to give you an exam to determine how far along you are, so if you'll just change into this gown, I'll be back to start the examination momentarily."

"Huh? What?" Buffy said startled.

"I said that I'll just leave for a few minutes, so that you can change into the gown, and then I'll be right back," the doctor reiterated.

"Okay doctor, that'll be fine," Buffy replied still in a daze. _**Oh goddess! What am I going to do?**_

* * *

Willow was in the waiting room, trying to keep from pacing. She was so nervous. It seemed to be taking forever, and the suspense was killing her. She couldn't even imagine what Buffy must be going through. She had no idea what would happen next, but she would be there for Buffy, best friend to the last. And if needed, she would stand beside Buffy when she finally told her mother.

Buffy walked into the waiting room, a devastated look upon her face, and Willow knew. Buffy was most definitely pregnant. So Willow ran to her best friend and hugged her.

"Oh goddess Willow, what am I going to do? This is not good. What's my mother going to say? She's going to be so disappointed. I just cannot believe this," Buffy cried into Willow's shoulder.

"Oh Buff, I'm so sorry. But we'll all be there for you, you know that right?" Willow replied, "Let's get you home okay?"

And with that they left the clinic to head back to Buffy's house.


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER:**

I don't own anything other than the plot. Buffy is owned by Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy; while Boondock Saints is owned by Troy Duffy and possibly by Franchise Films…

* * *

**The Powers' Favorite…**

You know, I've suspected it for quite a while now that I must be one of the Powers' favorite butt-monkeys. I truly believe it. Why else would I be put into all sorts of crappy situations? I mean, the first clue I had was sending Angel to Hell to pay for Angelus' crimes. Then when Angel came back from Hell, just as I'm starting to move on, and have a bit of a life not just slay-related. But what I don't get, is why me? I don't recall signing up for this. So why do "They" always choose to make my life a living hell?

They must get laughs aplenty at my expense.

A prime example would be my vacation this past summer. I actually let myself cut loose, as Faith would say, and indulged in an amazing summer fling- only to find myself pregnant as a result. We even used protection, on top of the fact that I was on birth control.

Oh and let's not forget the day I told my mother I was pregnant. I don't think I'll ever forget the expression on her face: profound disappointment. She understood my desire to keep the baby; but still, I know she had trouble accepting it. And Dawn was gleefully reveling in the fact that I did something so stupid.

But now, I think my mom is looking forward to being a grandmother; and I know Dawn is excited to be an Auntie, though every now and again, she gets a smug little smirk on her face about the situation. The little brat!

Can I just say how lacking in the fun morning sickness is? And why do they call it morning sickness?! I happen to know for a fact, that it can (and often does!) happen morning, afternoon, or night! I spent many hours praying to the porcelain goddess during the first trimester.

Though what made those three months even worse was around that time, my mother was suffering from these painful headaches, which she tried downplaying for Dawn's and my benefit, so we wouldn't worry. However, in hindsight, if we'd only known the events that were rapidly approaching.

Apparently, while I was suffering with the early stages of pregnancy, and worrying over my mother being ill herself, I didn't know that a new enemy had blown into town. Something we had never come across before.

* * *

Not too long after my mom became ill, I was doing a routine patrol of an abandoned warehouse, and the security guard there handed me some weird glowy orb thingy. And when I went to get my mom her pain meds at the hospital the next day, I ran across the security guard again… only he was insane.

He said something to me that freaked me out. And because of that, I tried a spell that Anya mentioned to find out what was wrong with my mom. Only the results of that spell had a more shocking effect: Dawn wasn't real. Needless to say, I overreacted to Dawn's presence after finding out

When I went to investigate the warehouse for clues, I came across a monk who had seen better days. Someone or something had worked him over pretty good. As I was trying to untie him, I was painfully introduced to the newest Big Bad to hit Sunnydale. The amazing thing though, was that this woman was even stronger than me… much stronger.

I barely got myself and the monk away from her. And even then, I had to jump out of a second story window to do it.

Luckily for me, the PTB must have been watching out for my baby, because that fall didn't cause me to lose her.

Upon questioning the monk, I found out the truth about Dawn.

* * *

Seems that the monks were the keepers of some mystical energy they called the Key, and that the "woman" had been searching for it. She found out where the monks were, and so they ended up having to hide the Key from her.

They did a spell to transform the Key into something else. So using my DNA, they transformed the Key into flesh and blood. They made it into my little sister, so that I would protect the Key with my life. And they spared no details. Everyone in my life has memories of Dawn always being there as my little sister.

That was a painful discovery for me. But, I knew what I had to do; so I would treat Dawn like I previously had: as an annoying little sister.

* * *

So, then the next thing was the fledgling that bested me in a fight. He managed to stake me with my own frickin' stake!

After having Riley treat that wound, I went to the Magic Box to research why that fledge had gotten the jump on me. Like I'd said to Giles, I was in the best condition I'd ever been in- my pregnancy notwithstanding- so how did that vamp beat me?!?

Research was pointless. The previous Watchers diaries didn't tell me diddly about squat. But, then I remembered something. I had my very own walking, talking, annoying bleached menace with the information I needed, as he had had the distinction of killing two slayers in his time.

Imagine my dismay and revulsion at having to spend an entire evening with the bleached menace in order to get the information I needed. If it wasn't for the fact that he couldn't harm a human being, I would have staked him a long time ago. But as it was, I did kind of feel sorry for him, because of the chip in his brain. But I will _**NEVER**_ admit feeling any sympathy towards him, _**EVER!!**_

And what made having to spend the entire evening with Spike that much worse? Was when he tried to kiss me!

What the hell was he thinking?!? How in heaven or hell could he think for one second, that I'd allow it? The bleach must have rotted his brain, because that will never happen!

* * *

Later that night, I went into my mom's bedroom to go over the grocery list with her, when I found her packing a bag.

When I questioned her about it, she told me what was going on. She had to stay overnight at the hospital for observation, because the doctor thought that the headaches she's been having might actually be something more serious.

She tried to convince me that she would be fine. But I was shaken to the core. I know that she's a human being too, but to be honest, it never occurred to me that she was just as fallible as the next person. I mean, she's Mom; and I always thought of her as invincible, you know? The one person I could count on…

She's the one who could bring some semblance of normalcy into my crazy life as the Slayer. But to find out she might be seriously ill.

And the news got worse after that…

It would seem that the headaches were because of a brain tumor. Oh my God! A brain tumor?!? I just couldn't believe it. This was not happening! Not to my mother! It was surreal.

* * *

The following weeks would have been utter hell if I didn't have Giles and the others. They took over the research on the newest threat, and the patrolling duties for me while I took care of my mother, Dawn, and the household chores.

Suffice it to say, if not for Tara and Willow, I would have ended up neglecting my own health (and the health of my baby) in favor of taking care of mom and Dawn. But they were looking out for me, making sure I ate and got enough rest too.

Once the surgery to have the tumor removed was done- with total success, I might add- it lifted a heavy burden from my shoulders.

But, considering how the PTB work, I should have known it wouldn't last.

* * *

During the time I was busy trying to be strong for Dawn and mom, Riley was having issues of his own. Stupid, male ego-related issues, I might add.

He was upset because I couldn't allow myself the luxury of breaking down in front of him, or anyone for that matter. So Riley took it as a personal affront to him. And do you know how he tried to rectify the situation?

While I was worrying about everything my mom was going through, he was at the vampire equivalent of a whorehouse. Getting suck jobs from cheap, vampire whores! I caught him in the act with my own eyes. Stunned and disbelieving, I took off. I just could not believe it.

After, I got over the shock, I got pissed off. How could the stupid jackass do something so idiotic?! Sneaking off like that, behind my back and everything.

When he confronted me at the Magic Box, he tried to make it sound harmless. Riley even had the audacity to bring my relationship with Angel into it. He claimed to want to "understand" why Angel (and to a lesser extent, Dracula) had so much "power" over me.

The balls on that son of a bitch were unbelievable! Trying to compare my love for Angel, and what we shared with his two-bit vamp whore suck jobs!

And while he was confessing, he told me that they made him feel "needed".

I guess I didn't make him feel needed. And that was why he went to those whores. Can you imagine how that made me feel?!

So, because I wasn't some damsel in distress who needed a prince on a white steed to save me, it was somehow my fault.

But wait… it got better! As if I wasn't already beyond pissed off, he decided to give me an ultimatum!

Apparently earlier that afternoon, he was approached by Graham (from The Initiative, Graham). Well, it seems that the Army was about to head out on some covert mission to the jungle to kill demons, and they wanted to recruit Riley. It would be deep undercover. Meaning no civilian contact whatsoever for who knows how long.

Un-frickin'-believable! Basically, I had to get over the betrayal of trust immediately, or Riley was gone.

As one would expect, I had heard more than enough by then and tried to leave, but Riley wouldn't let me go. He even tried to get me to hit him. Oh I was so very tempted. Mainly though, I was upset, angry, and disgusted by his behavior.

As I was wandering aimlessly through Sunnydale's seedier side of town, I was accosted by the boss of the vampire crack/whorehouse, and his "employees" **Coughs** minions. They were looking to go all payback-y against me burning down their place.

Needless to say, I was so not in the mood for this at the moment. I warned them to walk away. Boss Vamp wouldn't let it go, and they attacked so I had to defend myself.

None of the vamps lived to tell the tale, although I almost let the vamp girl who was feeding on Riley go. But then I changed my mind.

So, who should show up at that moment, but Xander of all people? He'd been following me from the Magic Box, so he saw my little show with the vamps. He also followed me into the abandoned warehouse to impart some sage (albeit unwanted and unasked for) wisdom.

Upon retrospect though, it really was something I needed to hear, because it made me face up to some things I'd been trying to ignore for quite some time… like no matter how I tried denying it, I wasn't truly in love with Riley. Nor could I give him what he wanted and needed from me, in all honesty. And yes, part of it had something to do with being gun shy after Angel, but there was another reason.

Something I wasn't ready to acknowledge at the time, but I understand now. That someone else had managed to worm their way into my heart without me realizing it.

Besides, I think that the part of me that still yearned for the "Normal Life" that was lost when I became the Slayer, was the part that latched onto Riley so fast; especially after the whole "Parker debacle". Riley was Joe Normal, or so it seemed, and that was what I wanted. So, I did as Xander suggested, and made the break from Riley a clean one. I didn't go after him.

* * *

Again, you'd think I'd catch a break after all that, wouldn't you? Nope. Not me.

Two weeks later, that pompous jackass Quentin Travers and some of his Council lackeys showed up from England with news about Glory, but there were plenty of conditions to go along with getting that information; fiery hurdles that I had to jump through in order to pass…

I would have failed big time too. If Glory hadn't visited my home to have her demented version of a civilized conversation; and then me being ambushed by three Medieval Times rejects on my way to the Magic Box. I realized something in the conversation I had with that knight.

So many people were so eager to threaten me, my family, and my friends that there must be a reasonable explanation for it. That it occurred to me… I have something everyone else wants.

Whether it's Dawn/the Key, or whatever… they need me, which was why they were trying to intimidate me into giving them what they needed or wanted.

What the whole ordeal boiled down to was this:

1) I got Giles his job back as my official Watcher once more.

2) I now have the backing of the Watchers Council (albeit a loaded truce).

3) My friends would continue to help me with the slaying.

4) And I wanted them to have Faith released from prison, so that she could come here and help me deal with Glory. With the condition that she would receive the continued psychological help that she was getting in prison to help her deal. And, provided he agreed, Wesley reassigned as Faith's official Watcher…

The last condition did not go over well with Xander and Willow. And while I understood their reservations about having Faith on board, I needed the help that having another slayer could offer. Especially when you consider that we are going up against an actual hell-god.

And though neither Willow nor Xander know about this, but I have been keeping in contact with Faith via letters. Because loath though I was to admit it at the time, but Faith was right about certain things back in L.A.

She wasn't the only person in the wrong back then. I could have tried to understand where she was coming from, instead of resenting her presence in my life immediately after coming back from L.A. And then with the drama that was my relationship with Angel, etc.

But we have since addressed those issues between us, and have come to something of an understanding.

* * *

19-January-2001

3:07pm

It's been about six weeks since Faith came back to Sunnydale. And while it hasn't exactly been the easiest transition having her back; Willow has been trying to see my point of view on the whole situation, but Xander is still being a stubborn ass to her.

Sometimes, I just want to smack him in the head about it, but I can't. I know he has issues with the whole her trying to kill him thing, and that's why he's so hostile, but we need her on our side and that's final.

In other not so exciting news- today is my birthday. Mom, Willow, and the others are throwing me a birthday party. I was totally against it, but they insisted. I even tried reminding them of my bad birthday history, to no avail. So, we're going to have an impromptu party with cake and presents. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing bad happens.

* * *

20- January- 2001

11:53pm

So, last night went like I expected, and followed in the "Bad Buffy Birthday" tradition.

I'd told the rest of the gang the truth about Dawn's origins, and as expected, they were pretty freaked out.

During the party, Dawn had one of her hormonal teenage hissy fits, and stormed up to her room.

What none of us knew though was that she'd snuck out of the house, intent on breaking into the Magic Box. Spike intercepted her in the front yard, but rather than bring her into the house, he went with her, as an accomplice.

After breaking into the Magic Box, she found Giles' Watcher journal. They read it, and Dawn found out the truth about herself. Obviously she was supremely upset. God knows that wasn't the way I wanted her to find out (not that I wanted her to find out at all!). She cut herself with a kitchen knife to find out if she was real!

Then earlier today, when I went to Giles' shop to speak to the others, I got a telling clue about Spike going with her. I was livid! I was so ready to dust him for that alone. But, then he accused me of using him as an excuse to assuage my own guilt in the whole matter. And he was right. I should have been the one to tell Dawn. But how the hell could I tell my little sister that she wasn't actually my little sister?

Yeah, I could just see it. How was school today? Do you have any homework? And oh by the way, you're not really my sister. You were created by some monks to hide some mystical energy that some psycho hell-bitch is after, and all your memories aren't true, because you were only created six months ago.

Yeah, that would have been so much better. And as per normal, it got worse.

In an effort to find out any information she could about the key part of herself, she took off again, after torching her diaries, possibly even burning down the house. I was pissed at her, but more than that, I was beyond worried.

I had everybody helping me search for her. And it wasn't until we got to the hospital that we found her, but so had Glory.

There's no telling what would have happened to Dawn if Glory had found out that Dawn was the Key. Luckily that was a major disaster that was diverted- although it took a crowbar through the shoulder in my effort to save Dawn- to get the point across to her that regardless of how she came to be, she was my little sister.

That both mom and I loved her and she was my sister in all the ways that mattered.


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER:**

I do not own it as you ought to know by now! Buffy=Joss; BDS=Troy.

* * *

**Different, Yet the Same:**

3- March- 2001

4:01am

Murphy hastily made his way to the neighbourhood convenience store, in a vain effort to stave off the icy fingers of Jack Frost, burrowing deeper into the warmth of his beloved pea coat.

The only reason Murphy was even out at this time of the morning was for cigarettes. He and Connor had finished off the last of their cigarettes earlier that night- and since Murphy drew the short straw- he was stuck making the late night/early morning run for them.

Freezing his arse off, Murphy spent several minutes muttering colorful and highly inappropriate invectives about his twin. Upon entering the little store, Murphy was grateful to be out of the cold, so he took his time browsing the store for a few snacks and some beer. Busily contemplating which kinds of chips to get, he didn't notice as two shifty, strung-out young men entered the store bent on robbing the place.

Because he was stooped down in the aisle when they came in, they didn't know that Murphy was there. When the clerk took too long getting the cash, the younger of the two robbers started yelling at the clerk to hurry up. Trying to keep calm, the clerk hurriedly put the money in the sack the thief handed him.

Meanwhile, Murphy pulled his own gun out of the band of his jeans, trying to remain unobserved so that he could make his own move. It was a minor miracle that he hadn't been noticed yet. Tense- with his adrenaline pumping- Murphy waited for his moment, when the right opening occurred.

"A'right you fuckers, drop yer weapons or this'll get ugly real quick!" Murphy yelled.

Startled, both young men spun around to see Murphy standing there, with his own weapon pointed at them. With their backs turned away from the clerk, they didn't notice as he retrieved his own weapon from underneath the counter.

Soon after, sheer chaos erupted, and shots were fired. One of the would-be robbers went down, while the other fled the scene.

Because of the rush of adrenaline in his system, Murphy never even realized that he'd been shot until his vision started going grey around the edges. Looking down at his chest, he could see a steadily growing wetness around the bullet hole in his coat, and then all went black.

* * *

**Sunnydale General:**

3- March- 2001

1:11am

"Okay Miss Summers, I need you to give me another big push," Dr. Munroe demanded.

"I've been pushing! What the hell else do you think I've been doing you jackass?!? Tiptoeing through the tulips?!?" Buffy yelled in agony as sweat ran down her face.

"Come on B! You can do this," Faith encouraged. "You're a warrior, and this pain ain't nothing you can't handle."

Glaring balefully at Faith, Buffy sneered, "Yeah right F! I'd like to see how well you handle the pain of trying to squeeze a basketball through your nether-region!"

As another painful contraction ripped through her, Buffy grabbed Faith's hand and squeezed with Slayer Strength, causing Faith to wince as the bones in her hand cracked under the pressure.

* * *

It had been a testament to the slow growing trust and friendship that had been developing between the Chosen Two this time around, that Faith was the one with Buffy in the delivery room, rather than Willow or her mother. And also the fact that Faith could bear the brunt of Buffy's strength better than the others could.

"Alright Miss Summers, I can see the baby's head, I just need a couple more big pushes and then you can rest," Dr. Munroe promised.

"I don't think I can do it. I'm so tired now," Buffy cried, "Can't you just pull it out of me?"

"Alright B, you heard the doc, two more pushes and then you can rest. Don't crap out on me now," Faith coaxed, as she grabbed a damp cloth and awkwardly wiped the sweat from Buffy's face.

Faith was amazed at the way things had turned out between Buffy and herself. They still had a few awkward moments every now and then, but for the most part, things were pretty good between them.

And the most astonishing thing was when Buffy asked her to be her birthing coach. To say that Faith had been shocked would have been a massive understatement; this was something Faith figured Buffy would have asked Willow or her mother to do for her. Hell, the way Faith saw it, even Tara would have been a better choice than her. In the end though, Faith had accepted humbled by the request. So here she was, in a situation she never thought she'd be in, offering emotional support for Buffy while she gave birth.

"Okay Miss Summers, I want you give me another big push on the count of three, alright?" Dr. Munroe said.

Buffy took a deep breath, and pushed with all the strength she could muster… seconds later, the indignant wails of a baby could be heard along with Buffy's screams of distress, when the doctor announced the sex of the baby.

"Congratulations Miss Summers! It's a girl!" Dr. Munroe announced. "The nurse is just going to clean up the baby, and then you can meet your daughter."

Overcome by exhaustion, Buffy's head dropped back onto her pillow, too tired to move. When one of the nurses helped Buffy shift on the bed so that she was in a more upright position, a second nurse placed her daughter- all cleaned up and dressed- into Buffy's awaiting arms.

Buffy could only stare at her daughter in wide-eyed wonder. Tears of joy escaped her eyes as Buffy mentally catalogued her daughter's appearance… to make sure everything about her daughter was okay.

She could see ten tiny fingers, and ten little toes; a pert little nose so like her own, a thick tuft of dark red-brown hair, and a pair of wide bluish-green eyes, and a set of pouty lips. Her little girl was perfect! Buffy could see a bit of her mother and even a bit of Dawn in her daughter's features. She was so mesmerized by her daughter, that she didn't even notice when Faith came up to her side to have a look.

"Damn B, she's a beautiful little girl. Do you know what you're going to name her yet?"

"No I don't, but do know that I'd like to give her an Irish name, to honor her father's heritage, you know?"

"So, any particular ideas on what you're considering?"

"Not really no, but give me some time, I'll think of something."

"Well B, I think I should go get your mom and sister at least, I know they're probably anxious to meet the newest addition to the family."

Buffy yawned tiredly, "Okay. We'll be here waiting for them."

* * *

As Faith walked to the waiting room, she was left to ponder the events of this night: the "Angel" part of Faith's conscience deeply admired Buffy and what she had gone through, and for what was yet to come; while the "devil" part of Faith couldn't help but be smug at how the mighty, and formerly self-righteous blonde had fallen so far from grace.

And Faith wondered what she would have done if she herself had been in Buffy's situation. She probably would have terminated the pregnancy had she gotten knocked up. So, Faith was glad that she had yet to be put in such a position, considering her sexual exploits. When she entered the waiting room, several heads turned her way.

"The baby finally came- a healthy and beautiful little girl- both mother and daughter are bonding and resting at the moment. But Buffy wants her mom and sister to come meet the newest member of the family… Afterwards, everyone else can come in to meet lil' Scrappy," Faith told the gang as Joyce and Dawn made their way to Buffy's room.

Everyone still in the waiting room immediately bombarded Faith with questions. Giles was the first to be heard through the din.

"Is Buffy okay? There were no problems with the delivery? And the baby is fine? No complications of any sort?"

"Yeah, Buffy is exhausted but doing fine and lil' Scrappy is doing wonderfully as well. Other than taking her sweet time getting here, Scrappy is of the good."

"Why do you call the little baby Scrappy? Is that the name Buffy has chosen for her spawn? Because it is a very odd name for a girl," Anya asked, "I would think that Buffy's daughter would be given a better name than that."

Faith just laughed before answering Anya's question, while Willow rolled her eyes at Anya, and Xander buried his face in his hands. "No Anya, that's not the baby's name. I'm just calling her that until Buffy thinks of a name for her daughter."

"Oh I see. Well that's alright then," Anya declared.

As Faith answered everyone else's questions, Dawn came back out and told everyone that Buffy wanted to see them now.

* * *

**County Morgue:**

5:30am

The first sensations that Murphy became aware of when he awoke, was that it was cold and dark.

He spent the next several minutes trying to gain his equilibrium, when he finally realized that wherever he was, it was making him feel mighty claustrophobic.

It was a tight space, and he was starting to panic at his predicament. Frantically feeling for some kind of opening, he tried his damnedest not to freak out.

When he figured out how to extricate himself from his little prison; he checked out his surroundings- Murphy suddenly knew where he was- and that it sent him into another panic attack, as he tried to make sense of everything he was seeing.

_Dear God! I'm in the morgue?!?_ Murphy shrieked silently. _How the fuck did I get stuck in the morgue? What the fuck is goin' on?!? Are ye fuckin' serious? Did I really fuckin' die? And if that's true, then how the fuck am I alive and breathing!?!?_

Trying to calm himself down enough to think, Murphy began to breathe deeply, realization dawning on him that he was naked. He was grateful that he was alone in the morgue, so that he could have a few minutes to think.

The first item of business was to find some clothes. Scanning the room, he saw a bag that contained his clothes. So grabbing it, he proceeded to put on his bloodstained shirt and jeans, and then tugged on his socks and boots.

As he exited the morgue, he pulled on his coat, intent on finding the exit so that he could go home to his twin- who was no doubt in a bad way- and hopefully they would be able to figure out what was going on together.

* * *

**Connor and Murphy's apartment:**

(Earlier that morning)

Connor had heard the sirens earlier, and knew that there had been some trouble somewhere in the neighbourhood, when he'd felt it… the sudden loss of connection to his twin; and he knew that something was terribly wrong with his twin.

Connor was determined to find out what was going on. While trying to contain the anxiety that was growing in his chest, Connor set out to find some answers.

Storming through the deserted hallway of the apartment complex they lived in, Connor burst out into the cold night. Unaware of anything going on around him, as he doggedly ignored the choking fear that wanted to crawl up from his belly- until he was certain of what was happening- he couldn't afford to lose control.

When he got to the convenience store, the sight that greeted him caused the anxiety to skyrocket to epic levels. The area surrounding the store was cordoned off, and there were police officers everywhere, along with a few paramedics.

Pushing his way to the front of the crowd, Connor ignored the protests of the crowd of onlookers. When he saw an officer standing between the crowd and the scene, so he tried to find out what was going on.

"Okay son, I need you to move on back now," the officer said sternly.

"What the hell is goin' on officer? What happened here?" Connor asked trying to get a closer look.

"Well, this store was the scene of an attempted robbery," the officer replied.

"Was anybody hurt? My brother came ta get some cigarettes from this store a little earlier, and he isn't home yet. So I need ta know what's goin' on!" Connor demanded.

"Hold on just a moment son, I'll find out what's going on. But you just need to stay calm."

The officer spoke into his two-way radio, trying to get some answers for Connor; when another man came up to them. He was tall and distinguished looking, probably in his late fifties with neatly trimmed salt and pepper hair, "I'm Detective Tristan, and I'm going to need you to come with me, young man."

* * *

**Police Station**

5:18am

_This_ _was not happening! There was no way that this was real! There is no fuckin'_ _way that Murphy is dead!_ Connor thought wildly. _This is a huge mistake. I don't believe it._

Detective Scott Tristan was looking at the young man- Connor- with pity. He knew that the young man was having a hard time believing that his brother was dead. Scott had taken him down to the morgue himself, so that Connor could identify the body of his brother. And even now, almost an half an hour later, Connor still seemed to be in a state of denial, and Scott felt for him.

Scott knew who Connor was; he remembered hearing from a few friends on the force in Boston about the MacManus brothers' case. How the brothers were attacked in their apartment by some Russian Mafia thugs bent on revenge for being humiliated in a barroom brawl on Saint Patrick's Day almost three years ago. How Connor had rescued Murphy from being killed in the alley of their loft by the Russian thugs.

Scott was almost off shift, so he figured that he would give Connor a lift back to his apartment, before he headed home himself- seeing as Connor wasn't in any condition to get himself home- if the glassy look in his eyes was any indication.

* * *

**Back at the apartment:**

5:38am

Connor was in a state of denial. He was sure that he was having another one of the nightmares he'd been having off and on since being _**called**_' to do God's work. Any minute now, he would wake up bathed in sweat, but Murphy would be asleep in the next room. Because it was unfathomable to Connor that Murphy could actually be dead.

So, this was just an extraordinarily vivid nightmare, and he'd be waking up any time now…


	13. Chapter 13

**DISCLAIMER:**

Not Mine. Buffy belongs to Joss; and Boondock Saints belongs to Troy Duffy; and all mentions of Highlander belongs to Panzer/Davis...

**A/N:**

Murphy learns of his new destiny as an Immortal being, explained to him by our favorite Balance Demon…

* * *

**A New Set of Complications:**

3-March-2001

5:42am

The silence in the apartment was deafening. As the time continued ticking away, Connor's bravado crumbled. He was having difficulty breathing; a sharp pain was growing in his chest and the prickling, burning sensation in his eyes was causing everything to blur.

Connor uttered a keening wail. It was an animalistic sound that spoke of grief and rage. Others followed in a desperate litany of indescribable pain. In his attempt to find a way to release the anguish he was feeling, Connor grabbed the secondhand lamp and threw it with all his might against the wall. Other pieces followed soon after.

Several minutes were consumed with destroying whatever he could lay his hands on, until Connor fell onto the sofa, spent. He lay heedlessly on the sofa in a kind of grief-stricken torpor.

* * *

5:59am

Murphy was grateful to be home. He was still highly confused about his situation and he wanted nothing more than to talk to his twin about what was happening.

Entering the apartment, Murphy was stunned at the sheer chaos of the front room. He imagined this was what the aftermath of a tornado would look like- worried about twin- Murphy cautiously made his way into the apartment, all the while trying to sense Connor.

Noticing Connor sprawled on the sofa with a dazed, glassy expression in his eyes, Murphy wondered what was wrong with him. "Connor, what the fuck is goin' on? Are ye okay? What happened in here?"

Getting no response from Connor, Murphy knelt down by his twin, trying to figure out why he was behaving this way. It wasn't like Connor, and it was actually scaring Murphy.

"What the fuck is wrong with ye, Connor? What's happened? Talk ta me, would ye? Tell me what's wrong with ye!"

Finally having enough, Murphy started smacking Connor's face, trying to rouse him from his torpor.

The glassy expression left Connor's eyes- focusing onto Murphy's face- his eyes widened to comical proportions. Connor bolted upright, scrambling to get away from "Murphy" snarling, "What the fuck are ye? And how the fuck did ye get in here?!?"

"What the fuck? What're ye on about Connor? I used my key, stupid! How else do ye think I got in here? And what do ye mean, what am I? I'm ye're brother ye dumb-fuck!" Murphy retorted confused.

"Like fuckin' hell ye're my brother! He died! I saw his body, so I know ye're not him!" Connor spat, searching for a weapon of some kind.

At Connor's outburst, Murphy blanched. Here was confirmation of Murphy's worst fear- that he really had died. Murphy didn't know what to say or think of this new dilemma.

How the hell was he going to explain it so Connor would understand when Murphy himself didn't?

"I think that I can be of assistance with that." A short man in an ugly bowler hat and a hideously garish outfit replied with a smirk, as he appeared out of a dark empty corner of the apartment.

Both brothers' head snapped in the direction of the newcomer's voice as they snapped in unison, "Who the fuck are ye? And how the fuck did ye get in here?"

"The name's Whistler; and I'm a messenger for the Powers That Be."

"The Powers That Be? Now why does that name sound so familiar?" Murphy wondered aloud.

"Because you've been told who they are," Whistler answered rolling his eyes, "Or have you forgotten everything our favorite Vampire Slayer told you over the summer already? Hmm, I rather suspect that she'd be hurt to know that you've already forgotten her."

"How do ye know Buffy? And what do ye know about what's goin' on with me?" Murphy demanded.

"Oh we go way back, the Slayer and I. I first met the Slayer when she was seventeen, when she had to stop an apocalypse involving her ex-honey. Needless to say she was a bit cranky that night, threatened to rip out my ribcage and wear it as a hat," Whistler recalled, smiling at the memory. "As for how we know what's going on with you, well you could say that we've been keeping tabs on the both of you since you received your own calling."

"Now why would ye be doin' somethin' like that?" Connor asked suspiciously.

"You and your brother have been coming up in the world and the Powers That Be, well they like to keep an eye on potential champions," Whistler explained.

"So, it's true then, I was well and truly dead? If so, why am I alive again? Seeing as how I was shot and all?" Murphy questioned.

"Got any booze in this place?" Whistler asked completely off topic, "I don't know about you two, but I'm parched."

"No, we're fresh outta booze. Now would ye kindly explain what the hell happened ta me?" Murphy demanded again.

"See, this is going take some time. And I really could use that drink…"

* * *

**Several hours later**

"Oh ye have got ta fuckin' be kiddin' me," Murphy exclaimed, "Ye cannot be fuckin' serious about this shit!"

"'Fraid so my friend, you have now joined among the ranks of Immortals- which means you are quite a bit different from your regular, garden variety mortal- you're enhanced, if you will.

"You have a new built-in homing device for detecting others like yourself. It will come as a dull pain at the base of your skull, the technical term for it, is your Quickening. It also compels you to seek out other Immortals and battle them for the sake of the Game. But before you freak out, it's pretty much with mortals and demons alike: there are good sorts and bad sorts.

The bad ones usually come in the form of headhunters who are in search of the younger Immortals or the Pre-Immortals simply because they are the easiest targets to defeat." Whistler continued on with his narrative, "Speaking of… you'll need someone to tutor you in the ways of your newfound Immortality sooner rather than later."

Pausing to take a long drink of the glass of bourbon that appeared in front of him, Whistler continued, "Immortals are part of an age old power struggle simply known as the Game. 'When the time of The Gathering happens, all remaining Immortals will be drawn towards a particular place and time to battle for The Prize'- depending on if you should survive long enough to be a part of The Gathering- 'because in the end, there can only be one.'"

Murphy sat listening with rapt attention because for better or worse, this was what his life would become whether he wanted it or not. He was beginning to understand Buffy's deep loathing for the Powers That Be. It sucked that he was now a pawn in their petty little games. Yes, he was upset about this new turn of events. More to the point, he was pissed beyond reason!

This was something he did not need. Plus the knowledge that he would one day be left behind while Connor passed on to Heaven, left him with a hollow feeling in his heart and soul. With some difficulty, Murphy brought his attention back to what Whistler was saying.

"As to what The Prize is- well I'm not at all certain what it is, because the PTB haven't deemed me worthy of that knowledge- being a lowly messenger and all. However you're going to need to know a few things if you're to survive for any particular length of time, Immortal guidelines if you will" Whistler said. "Lesson the first: You'll need to know how to fight with a sword of some kind, as that is the preferred choice of weapon by almost all Immortals. Lesson the second: Death by any means other than from beheading won't stick. Lesson the third: You can only fight in a one on one situation when challenged. The only way to avoid a fight is on holy ground…"

* * *

Whistler had finished explaining the ins and outs of Immortality to both Murphy and Connor, and they were sitting with shell-shocked expressions on their faces. He felt sorry for the both of them he really did. This past year had seriously shaken the core of their personal religious beliefs.

First finding out demons, vampires, and other creatures that go bump in the night were real.

Now they were learning that Murphy was an Immortal, and Connor was no doubt of the belief that he was going to grow old and die, while his twin would forever look the way he looked at this moment.

Whistler would have liked to tell Connor the truth about his own impending collision course with immortality, but his bosses had expressly forbidden him from divulging the details of it. The whole bit about free will and all that…

"One more thing; it's about finding you a mentor. There's this guy. He's been an Immortal for close to five hundred years now. He's a good man, a wonderful teacher, and something of a champion himself.

"The Powers think he would make the perfect teacher for you. I'm going to have to go and get the ball rolling with him. Make sure everything is set up properly. In the meantime, you two are going to have to tie up all your loose ends here in New York. Murphy needs to be relocated to Paris, France- where your mentor lives- for his Immortal training. And I suspect that you'll want to go with him as moral support, am I right?"

"Paris? We're goin' ta have ta relocate all the way ta France?" Murphy exclaimed, "Why can't he just come here?"

"Because while you're training, we don't need you distracted by your duties as part of "The Saints."

"How long is this training supposed to be takin' then?" Murphy asked.

"Well, I suppose that it all depends on what your teacher decides. Ultimately, he will be the one deciding on when/if you're ready," Whistler answered.

"So what's the name of this teacher that's goin' ta be teachin' me the finer points on bein' an Immortal anyway?"

"Duncan MacLeod."

"So how long until all the details are taken care of and everything is set up anyway?" Murphy asked.

"I don't know for certain, but when I'm done I'll come back with all the necessary information you'll need," Whistler replied.

"Fuckin' wonderful; I cannot wait!" Murphy muttered unenthusiastically.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: If it's famous or well known, I don't own it...

Author's Note:

---------------

Okay, I know it's been a long time, what can I say? I was having trouble figuring out which direction to take this, and I lost interest in this story for a while as well. But I found some inspiration, and now I'm back.

It occurs to me, that I use words that end in "-ly" quite often, and I just want to apologize if it bugs you- my wonderful readers. Also, before anyone points it out to me, yes I'm aware that Faith is OOC. I wanted to show that Faith had grown up quite a bit since her stint in the pokey, and that she is trying to prove to the Scoobies (but mostly Buffy) that she has changed for the better. And that she is willing to work on building a solid friendship with them, based on mutual trust, etc.

* * *

(Faith's POV)

Okay so this whole situation with Glory is gettin' serious, like for real now.

That thing with Spike gettin' kidnapped and tortured by Glory was the start of it. But the most recent situation is even worse.

Somehow, Glory got it into her warped head that Glenda is the Key, so she went after her at the college's culture fair thing.

We learned this after capturing one of the Hell Bitch's disgusting, scabby, smelly little minions as it was spying on us at the Magic Box. He/it told us that Glory had figured out that Glenda was the Key because she was the newest member of the Scoobies. I find myself slightly insulted that the Skanky One didn't even bother considering me.

And it took almost no "persuading" whatsoever to convince the Jawa reject to spill the beans on its boss. So I find myself rather disappointed that I couldn't use my powers of persuasion to make it talk.

If this is the quality of demon lackeys she surrounds herself with, then this is really sad. But I'm strayin' from the topic…

Needless to say, Red went into full-on panic mode when she realized her girlfriend was in major peril- not that I blame her, to be honest- but she tore out of there like the very fires of hell were lickin' at her heels.

But she was too late…

That Hell Bitch made with the brain-drain, and now Glenda is all kinds of crazy. On top of that, she broke several bones in Glenda's hand too. Red had to take her girl to the emergency room so that her hand could be fixed and put in a cast. Then the doc said they had to keep Glenda overnight in the loony section of the hospital for observations.

Now, I know I've got a reputation as a hard-ass most of the time, but I felt really bad for Red's plight.

Needless to say, Red was lookin' to go all payback-y on Glory's ass (again, not that I blame her), but B claimed to have talked some sense into Red just outside of the room Glenda had been in moments before. Afterwards, we left the hospital to go pick up Dawn and lil' Ro from Spike's babysittin' services, with B thinking she'd succeeded in talkin' common sense into Red.

Yeah sure, uh huh, if you say so…

I know if I were in Red's place, I would want to do some serious damage to the one who hurt the one I loved. And B would be the exact same way if it were Dawn or Rowan, so I don't understand how she can be so oblivious of Red's pain and reactions.

But, I decided it would be best to keep my comments to myself.

However, when we got to the caves that Dawn, Rowan, and Spike were hiding in, it was Dawn that managed to make B see the truth of the situation. So B took off after Red, while I was relegated to gettin' the younger and youngest Summers' safely home.

I really don't know what's going to happen when the showdown finally occurs, but I do know that it's gonna get real ugly, real quick. And if I were the type to go with the touchy feely crap, then I'd be admitting to how worried I truly am.

But I'm not into the touchy feely shit, so I won't be admitting anything to anybody.

* * *

Faith was pulled out of her musings by the sound of keys in the door, which meant that Buffy was home from rescuing Red.

Hopping off the kitchen counter before Buffy saw and scolded her for it, Faith sauntered into the entryway. "Hey B, how's Red doing?"

"Oh, hey there Faith. Under the circumstances, she's as well as can be expected, ya know?" Buffy responded with a sigh.

"Yeah, I get that. It's a rough deal, what happened to Glenda."

As Buffy moved towards the kitchen to start dinner, with Faith following on her heels, she asked, "So, is Rowan taking a nap? How is Dawn doing? I know she was upset with what happened to Tara and everything else that's happened recently. Did she happen to say anything to you on the way home?"

"Nah, she was real quiet on the walk home. I think she was doing a good job of impersonatin' Angel." At the confusion on Buffy's face Faith elaborated, "She was doin' a bang on imitation of Angel at his broodiest. As for lil' Ro, she was out almost as soon as I set her down. No real drama."

Watching as Buffy proceeded to pull out a really big roast from the refrigerator, and getting it ready to put into the oven. Faith could see the tense set of Buffy's shoulders, so she set about trying to get Buffy to spit out whatever was bothering her. "So B, are you gonna spit out whatever's got your goat, or are you gonna pull an Angel impersonation as well? Cos' I can feel the tension rollin' off of you all the way over here."

"Gee, I don't know Faith… could I be tense because I just had to rescue my best friend from dying by the hands a psycho Hell God bent on finding the Key- who happens to be my little sister- and doing God only knows what with it! And on top of that, I have an almost five week old daughter to care for along with my little sister, and the one person who was the foundation in my crazy life died from an aneurysm caused by the surgery that was meant to remove her brain tumor!" Buffy ranted somewhat hysterically, picking up steam as she went on.

"Then there's Spike, who is so convinced he's in love with me that he had a sex-bot created in my likeness to fulfill whatever sick fantasies that enter his twisted brain! And last but not least, I still have to cope with the slayer duties that never seem to end, even with you here to share the burden! And I just know that somehow I'm going to screw everything up! So yeah, I'm feeling rather stressed out right about now!"

"Whoa B! Tell me how you're really feeling. Don't bottle it up inside you!"

Instantly contrite, Buffy sighed and apologized, "I'm sorry Faith. The past few days have been super-stressful, and I just don't get how my mom pulled off having a career on top of raising children, and all the other things she did, making it seem so effortless. And I miss her so damned much! I just wish that she was here to tell me what to do, ya know?"

"First off: no worries about the venting thing Buffy, I get it. Second, you know you aren't alone in all this. You got Giles, Red, and Xand to help you. And Angel would be here in a minute if you needed him, you know that. And lastly, you got Wes and me too. So you have got to stop thinking that everything hinges on just you. We're here for you through all the crap you're goin' through, just like you'd be there for us."

Overwhelming gratitude filled Buffy at Faith's words, so going with the moment, Buffy threw her arms around Faith in a hug that had her sister-slayer protesting; Buffy replied, "Thanks for the pep talk Faith. I needed to hear that."

"Geez B! Enough with the touchy feely shit! I get it a'right! No need to get all "chick flick moment" on me!" Faith grumbled, squirming uncomfortably in Buffy's embrace.

Letting go of the taller girl, Buffy wiped at the tears in her eyes before retrieving the makings for the salad that she wanted to go with dinner. "Faith can you grab the big salad bowl for me while I get the salad ready?"

Glad to be out of the uncomfortable moment, Faith acquiesced, and went to grab the bowl Buffy requested. As she handed the bowl to Buffy the sounds of the baby waking up and starting to fuss floated down to both her and Buffy. "You want me to go get lil' Ro while you make the salad? Or do you want me to make the salad?"

"Can you go get her, and bring her on down please? I'm sure she's going to be hungry soon. Also, while you're up there, can you check on Dawn, make sure she's doing her homework? Tell her dinner is going to be ready in about an hour and a half please?"

"I'm on it." Faith headed upstairs to get her honorary niece from her crib.

Rowan started to squirm and fuss even more as soon as she saw Faith, clearly wanting to be picked up.

Carefully picking her niece up, Faith left Buffy's room heading for Dawn's; still in awe of how natural it felt to hold Rowan.

She'd always figured she wasn't the maternal type, but there was just something about Rowan that begged to be held and cuddled that Faith couldn't resist, although if you tried to call her on it, she would vehemently deny it.

Knocking on Dawn's door, she waited for a response. At Dawn's muffled "Come in." Faith opened the door walking into Dawn's room, "Hey brat! Just checking up on you, making sure you're doing your homework and all that. Also, big sis wanted me to let you know that dinner is in about an hour and a half."

"Yeah, fine, whatever," Dawn answered flatly, not even looking at Faith.

"What's the matter, pipsqueak? You usually aren't this pissy… well with me anyway."

"Nothing's the matter. I'm perfectly fine. Peachy with a side of keen," Dawn fired back at her.

"Yeah 'cos that just sounded so believable," Faith scoffed. "Why don't you tell me what's really bothering you, instead of being a brat, yeah?"

"Great, so now I'm being a brat! Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"Not happening, pipsqueak. Now spit it out already, or else big sis is gonna start worrying, and come up here to find out what's going on. So spill it…"

Relenting, Dawn confessed what was on her mind to Faith. "It's just that, I can't help but think that the Key part of me must be something bad. Because it seems to me that everyone I love keeps getting hurt because Glory wants to find her Key so damn badly that she'll stop at nothing to get it.

"Spike tried to convince me that I'm not bad, but I know he was just trying to make me feel better. I have to wonder if it wouldn't just be better to go to Glory and confess that I'm the Key that she's looking for, so that way nobody else will get hurt and you'll all be done with it. Besides I'm not real, so who would miss me?"

"Now you wait just a minute brat! You are not evil or bad. Sure the Hell Bitch is jonesing to get her hands on you, but it isn't through any fault of your own. If anyone's to blame it's those monk guys. They should have known that Glory would come looking for the Key eventually, and tried harder to hide the Key. And it was even stupider of them to not think about the consequences of what would happen should she figure out that the Key was a human- although I suspect that they knew that she is one seriously dumb bitch."

At that comment a muffled snort escaped Dawn, and Faith was happy she could make Dawn laugh, even a little bit. "Seriously though, there are plenty of people that would be mighty upset if anything were to happen to you- big sis being the main one, and I happen to believe that lil Ro here would miss her Auntie Dawn… Not to mention Red, Xand, Giles, Spike, me, and hell even Wes too. You are one of us; therefore, you are vitally important, got it?"

"I got it. Thanks Faith. I've got to finish my homework. I'll be down as soon as I've finished."

As Faith walked out of Dawn's room, she pondered the strangeness that was her life with the Summers' girls. If someone would've told her months ago that she'd be living with the Summers' girls and made co-godmother to B's daughter, and also be a part of the Scooby gang she would have kicked their ass. But here she was…

Faith still marveled at the fact that they had truly forgiven her for the hell she had put everyone through in the not so distant past. It was something of a miracle to her. And that Buffy had trusted Faith enough to allow her to be co-godmother to Rowan was another miracle. Buffy had even asked Willow to work some of her hacker mojo to create a new identity for Faith… She was now officially Faith Celeste Summers, and with no criminal record to complicate her new life.

This time around, Faith was determined to do whatever it took to show Buffy that her trust and respect were well placed.

* * *

Buffy watched as Faith came back into the kitchen with Rowan comfortably cradled in her arms. Buffy knew that Faith would ebecome defensive if she were to make a comment about Faith's seeming ease with her daughter, so instead of ribbing her about it, she just smiled at the picture they made.

It made what she needed to discuss with Faith a touch easier. Because this was a delicate subject to be broached in the best of circumstances. But with the impending threat looming over their heads, it was an even touchier topic of discussion.

"Here you go B. One just woken and no doubt hungry little ankle-biter," Faith teased as she handed Buffy her daughter.

"Thanks Faith, I appreciate the help," Buffy replied as she cradled Rowan against her body with just one arm while she reached for the nursing blanket she used to cover herself with while nursing Rowan. "Also, I need to talk to you about some stuff whenever you've got some time to spare tonight, okay?"

"I got time to kill right now. What's on your mind?"

"Well, I've been giving some thought into the very real possibility of a showdown with Glory. I have no doubt that it is going to be one ugly confrontation. And it got me to thinking…"

Pausing to collect her thoughts for a moment, she continued, "I met with an attorney a few days ago to have a will of my own drawn up- just in case. Because God knows that being a slayer is fraught with danger, and I wanted to make sure Dawn and Rowan would be taken care of, should anything happen to me."

Seeing how serious Buffy was, Faith waited quietly until Buffy got to the point of what she wanted to say without interruption.

"I know this is a going to be a touchy subject, but I want to you promise me something. I need you to take Rowan away from here before the showdown with Glory happens."

"What? Are you kidding me? You can't be fuckin' serious about this!" Faith exclaimed as she began pacing the kitchen, too aggravated to stay still. "What about me helping you in this fight? You want me to just walk away while everyone else risks their lives?"

"Faith, please listen to me… I need someone I trust- someone who has the strength needed to protect my daughter from all the dangerous beasties out there- because you know as well as I do, that there are plenty of demons and vampires out there that would love to get their appendages on the child of a slayer. I need you to make sure that she gets to her father should the worst case scenario come to pass."

Knowing that she couldn't refute anything that Buffy was saying- no matter how much she wanted to- Faith said nothing while she waited for Buffy to continue.

"I'm just trying to be realistic here. We're going up against an actual Hell God, who has, on more occasions than I care to admit, managed to hand me my ass with almost no effort on her part. And we both know that there's a very good chance that someone is going to die in this battle. It may just be me. So, if anything should happen to me or anyone else, I'm asking you and Wes to take Rowan somewhere safer; and protect her until either I, or one of the gang gets in contact with you."

"Damn B! Don't talk like that! Nothing's gonna happen to you or anyone else! You'll defeat the Hell skank, keep Dawn safe, and you'll be around to watch your daughter grow up into a little hellion herself."

"I really pray that that's the case. But we have to be prepared for the worst. So I'm begging you please Faith- if anything happens to me- please make sure that Rowan gets taken to Murphy. Promise me this Faith…"

The raw anguish on Buffy's face had Faith's resolve crumbling. She could see how much this was hurting Buffy, as she waited for Faith's decision. After a short internal struggle, Faith nodded her assent.


	15. Chapter 15

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own any of it.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** This story is unbeta'ed, so any and all mistakes are mine alone.

* * *

**The Death of A Hero:**

16-April-2001

6:35am

**Faith's POV:**

Oh god she's gone! B's dead!

I was asleep, and for once having a great dream when I felt it, that snap in our connection. That spark of Slayerness that we shared- it's gone. It's what woke me up at first.

And if that wasn't a big enough indication that she's gone, then the clincher was when lil' Ro woke up crying and screaming hysterically. Seems she felt the loss of connection as well.

* * *

Wes and I had been taking turns at trying to calm Rowan down. She's been crying nonstop for almost fifteen minutes after B's apparent death, but she finally wore herself out. My poor niece managed to cry herself to sleep a few minutes ago. But an occasional whimper escapes her every so often, and my heart just breaks for her once more.

Damn it! She's never going to get the opportunity to know her mother- at least not firsthand- and B will never get the chance to see the woman her daughter will grow up to be… Fuck!

This is so fuckin' unfair! It wasn't supposed to be like this! B wasn't supposed to be the one who died! It should have been me! I was the fuck-up! The one who went evil, murdering bitch; so why the fuck is it that B- the Golden Slayer- had to be the one that died when it is so obvious it should have been me?!

From this moment on though, come hell or high water, I am goin' to do everything in my power to honor B's request, and get Rowan to her father, no matter what I have to do… or whatever demon I have to kill to make sure it comes to pass.

* * *

**Angel's POV:**

She's gone. My mate is gone. Faith came into my suite a while ago to tell me, but I knew it anyway, I felt it.

I was just coming in for the day, when I heard Rowan screaming. As I raced towards the suite Faith was using for her stay, the knowledge slammed into me, out of nowhere; telling me that the love of my unlife was no longer a part of this world. The desire to go check on my mate's child came to a grinding halt, with the painful certainty of that fact.

All I wanted to do was wail in grief as Rowan was doing…

Damn it! I knew I should have stayed in Sunnydale! I knew that Buffy was feeling extremely vulnerable after her mother's funeral. I knew that she needed me. But I let her convince me to go… because I couldn't bear the thought of giving into temptation, thus risking the loss of my soul, and unleashing Angelus onto the world.

Damn it! I gave up my humanity. I gave up my one chance at true happiness. Of making a life with Buffy, so that she would stay safe. I had it taken back so that she could live. I didn't give all those hopes and dreams up just so that she would end up dying barely a year later!

Damn the 'Powers That Be'! And damn the Oracles! They had to have known this was a possibility.

Oh god! Buffy's really gone…

* * *

**Murphy's POV:**

I had the strangest dream last night…

There were these odd, scabby little creatures, and they were fightin' in what appeared ta be a construction site.

There was also a rickety clumsily built tower, with a glowin' electrical cloud that was shootin' off lightning. And at one point, a dragon came flyin' out of the cloud… an actual fuckin' dragon. What the fuck is that about? That wasn't even the weirdest thing about the dream. No, that would've been the pain.

For what felt like hours, I felt a pain unlike anything I've ever felt before. It was hundred times worse than the pain of cauterizing a wound with a hot iron; with nothin' ta dull the pain.

It was like being ripped apart and electrocuted at the same time. Good God I hope ta never actually feel that kind of pain ever in real life.

After the pain though, there was an almost strange sense of peace, then nothing at all. Except now, I have an empty, hollow feelin' in my chest. Like somethin' is missin', and I cannot for the life of me figure out what it is…

* * *

18- April-2001

5:43pm

The atmosphere inside of 1630 Revello Drive was somber and hushed. The drapes are closed so that no sunlight can enter, thus harming the two sunlight-challenged occupants of the house.

To the residents of the small town of Sunnydale, California it was just another spring day. People were going about their lives, having deliberately forgotten the strange occurrences of two nights past.

Such was the nature of the residents of this particular small town. Because heaven forbid, anyone should actually acknowledge the strange, and often scary reality of went occurred after dark in this sleepy bedroom community.

If only the people occupying the Summers' home were allowed that luxury. If this were just another day for them, then they could forget the purpose of coming together tonight. So then they wouldn't be laying to rest one of their own.

One who filled the role of sister, daughter, mother, friend, lover, etc. But most of all, someone who was the true definition of what a hero should be… tonight, the Scooby and Fang Gangs were putting to rest one Buffy Anne Summers.

However, the irony of it all was that to everybody but the twelve people gathered, Buffy would still be alive. The Buffybot had been heavily modified by Willow, to be a reasonable facsimile of the real Buffy. With the exception of all but the ones who knew her best, the Buffybot would pass most tests.

It was essential that the charade of Buffy still being alive be maintained. If Social Services were to catch wind of the real Buffy's death, then they would take Dawn away from them. And that was a gamble nobody wanted to chance.

Even though Willow had done an excellent job of creating a new identity for Faith- as the illegitimate daughter of Hank Summers and one of his paramours- therefore being half-sister to Buffy and Dawn Summers. The chances of Social Services taking Dawn away were too great, even with Buffy's will leaving custody of Dawn to her "half-sister" Faith. So, it wasn't something they were going to risk happening.

* * *

It's not fair! Dawn thought to herself as she wandered her room, restless. We shouldn't be doing this! I should have been the one to die, since I wasn't a real person. Now because of me, Rowan is going to grow up without Buffy there to raise her, and so far away from Sunnydale and us. How much more is going to be taken from me before it's enough?!?

Clenching her fists in anger, Dawn ranted silently, 'First I lose my mother, then my sister, and soon, I'm going to lose my niece as well? This just sucks! How am I supposed to live like Buffy wanted me too, when all I want to do is die as well? But no… I have to be strong and live, just like Buffy wanted me to. And nobody else in Sunnydale knows what was sacrificed that night, in order to keep this world going. People that should be mourning Buffy as well, they've already forgotten her gift to the world, to me. She died a hero. But only the twelve of us will ever know it. It just isn't right or fair!


	16. Chapter 16

**DISCLAIMER: **

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is owned by Joss Whedon; the Boondock Saints is owned by Troy Duffy. "Here Comes The Sun" is owned by George Harrison's estate, and by the Beatles (or the surviving ones, at any rate). Anything recognizable does not belong to me. I gain no monetary compensation for this. It's strictly for entertainment value, so please don't sue me!

**AUTHOR'S WORDS:**

I apologize in advance for any and all grammatical errors, and whatnot.

Reviews are my drug... So give me my next fix by reading this chapter and reviewing.

* * *

**Surprise! You're A Daddy Now:**

**19-April-2001**

**11:18am**

**JFK International Airport**

As the airplane touched ground in New York City, Rupert Giles sighed wearily.

It hasn't even been a full forty-eight hours since we buried Buffy, and already I'm so very tired of it all. It has been, without doubt, one of the longest weeks of my life so far. And yet there seems to be no end in sight, he mused.

* * *

Theoretically, Giles had always known this day would come; he just never realized it would be so bloody painful. Nothing in Watcher's training could have ever prepared him for the reality of it.

In his mind's eye, he could still see Buffy's body after the fall: the stillness, the faint smile, the look of absolute peace on her face. He didn't think he would ever be able to forget that look. The pain of it was like an invisible fist wrapped around his heart, squeezing it in a vise-like grip.

Removing his glasses, he rapidly blinked back the sudden onslaught of tears that blurred his vision, refusing to allow them to fall. There would be ample time for that later, for now however, he'd concentrate on the task at hand.

* * *

Willow, Faith, and Giles were in New York because of Buffy.

According to Buffy's will, she'd stated that if anything were to happen to her, Rowan was to be placed into the care of her biological father- Murphy MacManus. And while he didn't agree with it, Giles was hell-bent on doing everything within his powers to honor Buffy's request.

So, if she wanted Rowan to go to her biological father, then that's what he was going to do. It was the least he could do for his fallen slayer…no, more like his daughter in all but blood.

So with his carryall in one hand, and Rowan cradled safely against his body in her baby sling; Faith, Willow, and he maneuvered their way through the crush of bodies in the airport to the outside.

* * *

Several of the men watched the three approaching with different looks on their faces. Some were looking at Giles with admiration, while others gave Faith, Willow, and he looks full of leering innuendo- causing Giles to give them a Ripper-worthy glare full of menace.

Unbeknownst to Giles, Faith had also caught the looks they were getting, and she was giving the drivers a menacing, feral and predatory glare of her own; one that caused several of the men to blanch and involuntarily step back from the intangible waves of danger emanating from the pair of them. While Willow could only shake her head in exasperation – as identical smirks appeared on both Faith and Giles' faces, their warning coming across loud and clear.

So approaching the least objectionable of the drivers, Faith gave him the address to the hotel as Willow and Giles settled into the cab.

* * *

After they'd all settled into their suite, Willow set up her laptop as back-up, just in case the locating spell she was going to use to find Murphy's location didn't work right.

As Willow was doing that, Giles was busy soothing a fussy and unhappy Rowan, while Faith was in the kitchenette preparing a bottle for Rowan.

Gently rocking his would-be granddaughter, Giles started to sing a song he'd often heard Buffy singing to Rowan, not knowing that he was there listening.

**Here comes the sun**

**Here comes the sun, and I say**

**It's all right**

**Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter**

**Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here**

**Here comes the sun**

**Here comes the sun, and I say**

**It's all right**

**Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces**

**Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here**

**Here comes the sun**

**Here comes the sun, and I say**

**It's all right**

**Sun, sun, sun here it comes**

**Sun, sun, sun here it comes**

**Sun, sun, sun here it comes**

**Sun, sun, sun here it comes**

**Sun, sun, sun here it comes**

**Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting**

**Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear**

**Here comes the sun**

**Here comes the sun, and I say**

**It's all right**

**Here comes the sun**

**Here comes the sun, and I say**

**It's all right**

**It's all right**

He never even noticed as both Faith and Willow had stopped to listen to him sing, so intent was he on his granddaughter.

"Yo G-man, you got some wicked good pipes on you," Faith complimented.

"Yeah Giles, Faith is right you are an amazing singer. I don't think I ever told you that before. But I've thought so since that time at the Espresso Pump during the whole Buffy-Riley poltergeist fiasco at the frat house," Willow chimed in.

Flustered by the sudden attention, Giles stammered in embarrassment. "Y-yes well, thank you for the kind words." Clearing his throat, he asked, "Is Rowan's bottle ready yet Faith?"

Remembering the bottle in her hand, Faith responded as she handed it to Giles, "Yeah, here ya go G-man."

"Thank you Faith." He sat down in preparation of feeding Rowan, he watched as she eagerly accepted the bottle.

While she ate, she focused on his face with wide inquisitive eyes, her gaze never once faltering from his.

Rupert felt his heart break at the thought of not being able to watch his granddaughter grow up. He wished for so many things in that moment, but knew it didn't matter, because it changed nothing of what was to come regardless.

* * *

Once Rowan was down for her nap, Willow started working on the location spell.

With a map of New York on the dining room table, she chanted the necessary words, and then tossed the stinky herbs, and waited for the telltale sign that it had worked.

Before long, the map started to glow a faint orange color; quickly grabbing a pen and paper, Willow wrote down the general location of the area the spell revealed, and then set about using her laptop to narrow down the search.

Fifteen minutes later, Willow had the latest address and telephone number for the MacManus twins. "Ok, I found the telephone number and address for Murphy. So now, the question becomes, when do we go see him and break the news?"

"I daresay we should do this as soon as possible. That way we can head back to Sunnydale. I do not wish to leave the Hellmouth unguarded for too long," Giles replied.

"Whatever you two think is best, yo. I'm just here for the ride," Faith shrugged, "Makes no difference to me."

"Ok then, how about we do this later this afternoon. I for one would like to at least give him some time to wrap his mind around this, before we leave Rowan with him for good. Besides, it will give us a couple of days to be around if he has any questions," Willow said.

"Yes, that sounds like a good plan, Willow. But for now, I suggest we all get some rest, and then after Rowan wakes, we can go eat."

* * *

**3:40pm**

Willow was shifting nervously from foot to foot in front of the apartment door, while she and Giles waited for an answer to their knock.

It had been just about ten months since she had last seen either of the MacManus men, and she _**was**_ _**not**_ relishing in the reason for this visit.

It had been bad enough hearing about Angel's reaction to Buffy's death; she wasn't sure how Murphy would take the news of Buffy's death, along with the news of his instantaneous fatherhood. She just hoped he didn't pass out from shock.

Faith agreed to linger down in the lobby of the apartment building with Rowan until Willow gave her the cue to come up to the apartment itself. But before Willow had a chance to go on a silent babble-fest, the door to the apartment opened up, and there stood Murphy MacManus.

* * *

"Yes, can I help ye?" Murphy asked as he opened the door of his and Connor's apartment.

"Uh, hi Murphy, how are you? Do you remember me? We met last summer, here in New York. I was with a group of friends, one you were especially familiar with- Buffy Summers," Willow babbled.

At that moment Giles broke in, "Willow, breathe. Calm down; give the man a moment to respond before you overwhelm him."

Blushing at the comment, Willow took a deep breath, and waited for Murphy to respond.

Murphy, for his part, was rather surprised to see the familiar petite redhead standing at his front door. He was even more surprised when the older English gentleman admonished her, while his heart had given an unexpected little leap at the mention of Buffy.

Even after all this time had passed, he had not forgotten the beautiful blonde woman who had turned his whole view of the world upside down. "Yeah, I remember ye. So, what are ye doin' here in New York? Is Buffy with ye?"

Wincing at the eager note entering Murphy's voice at the mention of Buffy, Willow took a deep breath before asking, "Can we come in?"

Murphy stood back, gesturing them into the apartment. No, he had not forgotten anything about the group of friends from California who knew about things others believed to be the stuff of horror films.

Willow was glad to see that he hadn't forgotten the lessons on vampire etiquette that the Scoobies had taught him and his brother. "Oh this is Rupert Giles by the way. He's a friend of ours; kind of the patriarch of our group."

"Well, it's a pleasure ta me meet ye sir," Murphy replied, hand out to shake the hand of the man whom Buffy had mentioned was practically a father to her.

"Likewise, I assure you," Giles responded shaking the hand of the young man. "So, I don't mean to sound abrupt or anything, but is your brother in as well? We have a few things to discuss, and I think it would be easier for you if he was here as well."

"Yeah, if ye'll just have a seat, I'll go get him. Be back in a moment." Murphy headed to Connor's room to retrieve his twin. When they both emerged moments later, Willow and Giles were muttering quietly to each other, they appeared to be debating something.

"Hey, I'm Connor. Murph here was telling me that you wanted ta talk ta both of us."

"Yes, quite. See, we came here because we have something to tell Murphy, and we felt it best that he had some support with him for what we have to discuss." Removing his glasses and handkerchief Giles began polishing his glasses, unconsciously.

"How is Buffy? Is she here in New York with ye? Will we get ta see her?" Murphy asked eagerly.

Clearing her throat uncomfortably, Willow spoke, "No Murphy, Buffy isn't here with us." Gathering her thoughts, she tried to find the right words to tell Murphy that Buffy was dead. "Ok, this isn't going to be easy to say, so I'm just going to say it: Buffy won't be here because Buffy died two days ago."

Murphy felt his whole world tilt once again. He must not have heard that right. Willow didn't just say that Buffy died two days ago. So, he turned to look at his twin, and he saw the look of shock on Connor's face that Murphy was sure was mirrored on his own. When the truth of the words sunk in, Murphy felt his knees buckle under the weight of his shock and pain, but Connor was there to catch him before he collapsed onto the floor.

"What?! What do ye mean she died two days ago? What the fuck happened?" Murphy demanded.

"There was a battle against a Hell God named Glory. She was trying to open up a portal to go home to the Hell dimension she was banished from. But to do that, she needed a sacrifice to open this portal. We tried running away, but we were pursued by some crazy religious cult called the Knights of Byzantium, who were trying to prevent Glory from opening the portal to go home… And well, they managed to injure Giles here. So we had to call in a friend of Buffy's who was a medical intern. He came to fix Giles up, but what we didn't know was that this guy- Ben- was different."

"What do ye mean different?" Connor interrupted, "Different in what way?"

"Let's just say that Ben and Glory were pretty much the same body, but two separate personalities, and we didn't know that. So, at some point, Ben morphed into Glory, that was when she kidnapped Buffy's little sister to use as the sacrifice, and took off."

Willow continued the explanation, leaving out the all the parts about Dawn's Key status. "We tried to go after her but she was too fast, by the time I got the barrier protecting us from the Knights down, Glory had not only slaughtered all of the Knights, she had disappeared. All this occurred in less than two minutes."

"But I don't understand how this Glory and Ben could be sharing the same body. And why were they so intent on killing Buffy's little sister?" Murphy asked.

Giles continued the story from here, "Well, it seems that Glory ruled in one of the more brutal hell dimensions with two other gods. But Glory's power and lust for pain grew too strong, and the other two worried that she would overthrow them, so they went against her, and managed to defeat her. They created a human male, as a prison for Glory's essence, and banished her to earth. But, because she was so powerful, she was able to emerge for short periods of time. But it took its toll on her sanity, not that she was all that sane to begin with, mind you. As for why Dawn: Glory needed the purity and innocence that only Dawn's blood would have had."

"We had meant to try and stop the ritual before Dawn was harmed. So while Buffy was fighting Glory, we were fighting against her minions. But we hadn't counted on one of Glory's followers to slip past our guard. He managed to cut Dawn's belly while she was tied at the top of a makeshift tower. By the time Buffy got to Dawn, it was too late. The portal started opening, and with it the walls to all the dimensions fell away, and demons emerged."

"Dawn was going to sacrifice herself, but Buffy stopped her. Buffy came to some realizations, and sacrificed herself in her sister's place," Willow explained with some difficulty. In her mind's eye, still seeing Buffy's body lying on those bricks- unmoving.

Murphy finally broke down at the news of Buffy's death. At first the tears fell silently, soon though heartbroken sobs tore from his throat. Hunched over, face in his hands, he cried for all that would never be. In some strange way, it was like reliving Rocco's death all over again, but somehow more devastating.

Connor was at a loss on how to help Murphy. He could feel the pain emanating from his twin. So he did the only thing he could- he gathered Murphy into his arms and held onto him, rubbing his twin's back like he had when they were younger. His brother held onto him like a drowning man clings to a life preserver, and Connor's heart broke for his twin.

* * *

Giles and Willow sympathized with Murphy, they truly did. They understood the pain he was in. For Willow, she had lost the best friend she had ever had besides Xander, and Jesse (God rest his soul).

Though for Giles, it was more the loss of his child. Buffy had done what she did best… wormed her way into his heart, and refused to let go. She was the daughter he would never have.

So yes, they knew what kind of pain Murphy was suffering.

As Murphy's sobs subsided, Giles cleared his throat. "I know that this has come as quite a shock to you, but there is something that Buffy left for you that we need to discuss when you feel that you're ready to discuss it. Is that alright for you?"

Connor answered for Murphy, who was still too distraught to speak at the moment. "Yeah, let's give Murph a few more minutes, okay?"

While Giles was talking to Murphy and Connor, Willow was having a mental conversation with Faith, asking her to bring Rowan up to the apartment.

When a knock was heard at the door, Willow stood and said, "I'll just go ahead and answer the door for you, ok? It's part of what we need to discuss with you." At Connor's nod of acquiescence, Willow opened the door.

"Hey Red, how'd the dropping of the bomb go?" Faith asked.

"It was not good. I think he took it worse than Angel did. But then again, Angel has had years to perfect the art of brooding… Seriously though, it was awful," Willow replied. "I do not look forward to this next part either."

"Yeah, well B sure knew how to make with the drama way better than Cordy ever could, I'll give her that much."

As Faith and Willow made their way into the living room, Faith noticed the brothers sitting there, one holding onto the other. The lighter-haired one looked up and at Faith. Some vague memory brushed at the back of Faith's mind, although for the life of her Faith couldn't figure out why.

Upon seeing Faith enter, Giles stood as well, "Ah Faith is everything alright? No problems I hope?"

"Everything's five by five, G-man. Anyone care to make the intros here?" Faith returned.

"Oh sorry, Faith this is Connor and Murphy MacManus," Giles said as he pointed each of the brothers out to Faith. "And gentleman, this is Faith. She is a friend of Buffy's as well."

"So G, you ready for the next bit of info? Cos, I think the cat'll be out of the bag sooner than later if we don't make with the explanations like now."

"Yes, let's do this." Turning back to Connor and Murphy, Giles continued, "So, after Buffy died, Faith told us about Buffy having a will, and in it she leaves to Murphy one of her most precious possessions…" breaking off, not knowing how to word what he wanted to say, Giles paused to form his thoughts coherently. But before he could say anything more Faith said what he couldn't.

"Congratulations man; it's a girl."

Willow winced at Faith's lack of tact. Turning to look at the brothers with a sheepish expression she said, "Surprise! You're a daddy now."

The best way to describe the looks on both brothers' faces was dumbfounded amazement. It would have been funny if Murphy's face hadn't have gone quite so pale. "What?"

With a wave of her hand, the concealment charm Willow had placed on Rowan was removed. "Yeah… your time with Buffy had a very unexpected, not to mention unplanned side benefit."

"It came as a rather startling surprise to Buffy when she found out that she was pregnant. Initially, Buffy was rather upset, but after the shock wore off, she was ecstatic," Willow explained. "There was never a doubt in her mind that the baby belonged to you."

Faith chose that moment to butt in, "So dude, do you want to meet your daughter or not?"

Nerves filled Murphy at the demand, but he was filled with curiosity as well. Nodding his head, he waited while Faith gently removed his daughter from the cloth sling she was currently in. Rowan chose to wake up from yet another nap at that exact time.

As Faith handed Rowan to Murphy, he could only stare down at her in awe.

This wee one was his and Buffy's daughter. Good God she was a beautiful baby! With dark brown hair tinged with hints of red, and large, expressive green eyes. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he whispered, "What's her name? How old is she now? When was she born?"

"Her full name is Rowan Nyla Colleen Summers; and she is just over six weeks old now. Her birth date is March 3, 2001 and she was born at 1:13 in the morning. Buffy wanted to give her an Irish name in honor of you, and your heritage," Willow told him.

Overwhelmed with emotion once again, Murphy couldn't speak, as he stared at his daughter in wide-eyed wonder, while Rowan stared at him with curiosity sparkling in her green eyes.

Connor nudged Murphy impatiently, wanting a turn holding Rowan. "Come on then Murph let me have a chance ta hold me niece as well. Ye cannot be hogging her now."

As Murphy reluctantly handed his daughter over to Connor, his brother began to coo, "Well now, aren't ye a gorgeous wee lass? Such a pretty little thing ye are. We won't be allowin' the boys anywhere near ye until yer thirty or so. And even then it will only be ta yer husband…" Conner continued to talk to Rowan, watching as she smiled at him.

After a few minutes of this, he handed Rowan back to Murphy, looking up he could see Buffy's friends watching him and Murphy with looks of relief and a bit of sadness, and Connor wondered why.

"Well, it looks as though we won't have to worry about you wanting to take responsibility for Rowan. I think you shall make a wonderful father for her." Giles removed his glasses, blinking back tears once again.

"We'll stick around for a couple of more days, if you have any questions you want to ask, but then we have to head back to Sunnydale." Willow choked back her own emotions at having to leave her god-daughter.

"Well, I'm going to head back to the hotel now, if everything is five by five. I don't really need to stick around anymore. It was a pleasure to meet you guys, but I'm outta here," Faith announced abruptly, not wanting anyone to see her break down.

"Yeah, we should all go. Give you all a chance to bond and such. Here's a bunch of stuff you'll need- like formula, diapers, pajamas, etc. And Mr. Gordo here is Rowan's constant companion. She tends to sleep easier with him around," Willow explained as she handed over Buffy's stuffed pig toy to Murphy. "We'll be at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, suite 1079. Call if you need anything, ok?"

"Okay, thank you. Is there anyway we can get your home telephone number for Sunnydale, so if we can contact you if we need ta?" Murphy asked.

"Yeah, let me just scribble it down for you, and then we're going to go."

As the Sunnydalians left Rowan in Murphy and Connor's care, they beat a hasty retreat so that the brothers wouldn't see either of them breaking down over this.


	17. Chapter 17

**DISCLAIMER:** Joss owns all rights to the Buffy franchise; and Troy owns all rights to Murphy and Connor and the Boondock Saints Franchise. No money is being made here.

**A/N:** Revised chapter. Probably still has some mistakes, but hey! I'm not perfect. So I tried to keep the errors to a minimum, but I is a product of LAUSD… deal with the badness.

* * *

Interlude: Just A Dream… Or Was It?

26-April-2001

It had been a week since Willow and company had left for home.

Murphy was still adjusting to his new role as a father. He was still having trouble wrapping his mind around it; but it was gradually sinking in.

He didn't regret taking on the responsibility of caring for Rowan- never that. It's just… there were moments when Murphy could clearly see hints of Buffy in Rowan's personality; and during those glimpses it took most of Murphy's willpower not to break down and cry.

It pained him to know that Buffy was going to miss out on their daughter's life. Miss out on all of Rowan's first moments: Like her first step, her first word, and so many others. But, he had to believe that Buffy was watching over them from Heaven, smiling down on them.

* * *

The days following Willow, Giles, and Faith's departure back to Sunnydale had been hard on Murphy and Connor. Rowan cried for hours, obviously missing the only family she had known so far; but slowly she'd adjusted to life with him and Connor.

However whenever she was upset, tired, or fussy he would have to sing- granted rather badly- the song that he was told Buffy had sung to her before putting her down for naps, which was the Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun"; though Murphy had added his own twist to that nap-time ritual: wherein he would lay with her cradled to his chest, his heartbeat used in helping lull her to sleep.

It was his favorite way of getting her to sleep, because he felt it strengthened the bond between them.

* * *

4-May-2001

Today had been a stressful day. Rowan had been cranky all day, and no matter what he or Connor did, she refused to be pacified.

Murphy was exhausted from trying to comfort Rowan. So instead of putting her in her crib for nap time, he decided to allow her to sleep with him, snuggled on his chest. Before long they were both fast asleep.

As Murphy slept, floating through vague dreams of his and Connor's childhood in Ireland. The landscape soon changed from the familiar Irish countryside, to a town that he didn't recognize; and then that shifted to an isolated spot in what appeared to be a park of some sort.

In the distance he saw a Weeping Willow tree, and just underneath it was a lone headstone. Subconsciously knowing what would be written on it, Murphy hesitantly made his way towards the lone grave.

Upon reaching it, Murphy read the words inscribed on it:

Buffy Anne Summers

1981-2001

Beloved Sister

Devoted Friend

She Saved The World… A Lot

Dropping to his knees in despair, he reached out to trace the engraved words, oblivious to everything. The wind started blowing, when he heard his name being called by a soft voice; turning to the sound, Murphy was shocked by what he saw: Buffy walking towards him, a slight smile gracing her lovely face.

"Murphy…" Buffy said with adoration clear in her voice.

Incredulous, Murphy scrambled to his feet, not believing his eyes. "Buffy? What the fuck? Is it really ye? How is this possible?!?"

Chuckling at his response, Buffy's smile grew bigger. "Oh my sweet Murphy… yes it's me. As to the how, consider it a favor from the PTB." She watched as he walked towards her, a bit unsteady on his feet, when he stood directly in front of her, she reached out a hand to caress his cheek.

When her hand didn't pass through him like he thought it would, he once again sank to his knees, clutching at her in desperation. "Oh Buffy I cannot believe ye're here. This feels so real. Am I dreaming? I have ta be dreaming." Murphy sobbed.

Gently running her fingers through his hair, she murmured soft, comforting words.

"Willow came ta New York with Giles and Faith. I had thought that ye were with them, but then they told me that ye died. I was so shocked! I couldn't believe it! Didn't want ta believe it; and then they told me about our daughter. Why didn't ye tell me sooner, Buffy?"

"I didn't know how to tell you. By the time I figured out how, my mom got sick, and I was so worried about her. And between taking care of her, and my little sister, I became so stressed out that I wasn't taking care of myself, or our baby."

"It came to a point where Willow and Tara took it upon themselves to start looking out for me while I was busy caring for my mom and sister… and telling you became less of a priority.

"And then there was the new Big Bad to worry about, along with all sorts of other problems to deal with, contacting you just slipped my mind... I know that doesn't excuse it, but that was why."

"I had a right ta know about ye're pregnancy sooner, Buffy. I'd have come fer ye, all ye had ta do was ask."

"I understand that now, but I wasn't thinking too clear at the time," Buffy confessed guiltily.

Instinctively knowing that their time was short, and hoping to keep Buffy with him for as long as possible, Murphy changed the subject to their daughter. "I want ta thank ye fer our daughter Buffy. She's so beautiful, just like her ma, and she means everything ta me. I'm glad ye decided ta keep her, rather than takin' drastic measures."

"I could never have gotten rid of her! She was a wonderful gift that I never thought I'd get to experience, being the Slayer and all. Besides, she was a reminder of you, and I wanted to keep a piece of you with me always, even if I never saw you again."

"Aye. She's a blessin' from God, no doubt. I will cherish her and take good care of her Buffy. Rowan will know how much ye loved her, I promise ye that."

"Thank you Murphy. I have just one request to make though: Please keep in touch with my sister and friends. I want Rowan to get to know them; after all, they are her aunts and uncle and grandfather. I want Rowan to have the blessing of a large extended family."

"Aye, I promise."

"I have to go. I can feel "Them" calling me away. Take care of our daughter Murphy, and keep yourself and Connor out of trouble," Buffy hinted.

Having said what she needed to, Buffy rose onto her toes and gave Murphy one last passion-filled kiss, meant to convey everything they would never get to have together.

Finally breaking the kiss, she turned to go, fading as she went. But she threw one last comment over her shoulder before she faded completely, "By the way… I know about you."

Calling out to her, "What do ye mean? What do ye know? Buffy wait, don't go!"

And with that Murphy awoke with a start.


	18. Chapter 18

**DISCLAIMER:**

I don't own any of the copyrighted material therein. 'BtVS' is owned and copyrighted by Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy; whereas 'The Boondock Saints' is owned and copyrighted by Troy Duffy and Franchise Pictures; and Highlander is owned by Panzer/Davis, blah, blah, blah.

**Author's Note:**

There will be no spoilers of Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day at the moment, however there may be in future chapters. FYI: Buffy is going to be a bit darker for a while. So, she won't have as big of an aversion to the MacManus brothers' calling as one might expect. Fair warning. So don't get mad about it, k?

* * *

**Bring Me To Life**

**17****-****September-2001**

**Xander's POV:**

Chaos. That one simple word can best sum up this debacle.

I knew that this resurrection business would be tricky and difficult, but come on! This is ridiculous! We've gone way beyond that, and landed ourselves over the rainbow and into FUBAR, with a heaping helping of major clusterfuck!

Willow is engulfed in a freaky (and terrifying) mystical funnel o' flames; then we also have the near blinding white storm cloud of doom emitting greenish bolts of lightning. And as if that wasn't bad enough, we gotta dodge crazy biker demons wreaking havoc on our ritual as well?! This is just fucking great! I _LOVE_ magic…not!

* * *

A demon biker drove over the Urn of Osiris, breaking it, and Willow's anguished scream could be heard over the din of motorcycle engines, as she collapsed onto Buffy's grave.

Xander ran to Willow, intent on picking her up before the demon got hold of her, and heading deeper into the woods joining Anya and Tara. As most of the bikers headed back into town, the three conscious Scoobies decided on splitting up in an effort to avoid being caught. They also agreed upon the Magic Box as their rendezvous point.

While the chaos was going on above ground, deep beneath the earth, the magic invoked by Willow was coming together and slowly gaining in intensity, and several minutes later the desiccated body of Buffy Summers came gasping back into life- exactly where she had been laid to rest- in her coffin.

* * *

**Hyperion Hotel**

**Los Angeles, CA**

**12:47am**

The gathered friends and employees of Angel Investigations looked up in alarm at the bellowed "What the fuckin' hell?!" coming from the second floor of the hotel, when a brunette figure came racing down the staircase.

"What's the matter Faith?" Wesley and Angel asked simultaneously.

Freaked out, worried, and vaguely pissed off Faith bit out, "I'm not sure exactly, but if what I felt is correct, then I need to get back to Sunnyhell right now!"

"Why? Is something bad happening there? And if so, do you need us to go with you?" Angel demanded while gesturing to his team.

"I'm hoping the feeling that came over me is completely wrong, but somehow I doubt it, and I don't think you'll be able to keep yourself from losing control, McBroody… So no, I think it would be best if you stuck around Hell-A for the time being. But I'll give you the heads up, if we need you and your crew on the Hellmouth," Faith replied. Turning to her Watcher, she said, "If we hope to make it back to Sunnyhell before daybreak, then we gotta motor, Wes."

"Alright Faith, let's grab our things and head back straightaway," Wesley agreed.

Keeping a tight rein on his emotions, even though his instincts were telling him to head to Sunnydale regardless, Angel told Faith, "Let me know what's going on once you've sussed out the situation okay."

"You've got it, McBroody." With that, Faith headed back upstairs to grab her gear and head to Wes' car.

* * *

**Joe's Blues Bar**

**Paris, France**

**18-September-2001**

As Buffy was desperately trying to dig herself out of her grave back in Sunnydale, four men watched in stupefied fascination as a fifth man claws uselessly at his throat, choking for breath.

Frantic, Connor rushes towards his twin's side wanting to help, but unable to. "Murph! What the fuck is wrong with ye?! Show me how ta help ye!"

Struggling to breathe, Murphy is filled with an overwhelming sense of terror and panic. In his mind, he's reliving his own terror at the claustrophobic feeling of waking in the enclosed metal drawer in the morgue. Murphy offers up a silent prayer to God for this moment to end. And as if God heard his prayer, the suffocating sensation passes. Taking deep gulping breaths, Murphy tries to quell the lingering fear.

Connor throws his arms around Murphy in a fierce but relieved hug, taking a few moments to check Murphy over in an effort to convince himself that his twin is really okay.

When Connor is certain Murphy is alright, his fear turns to annoyance. Giving into the swift change in emotions, Connor smacks Murphy in the head, "What the fuck?! Are ye tryin' ta give me a heart attack, ye dumb-fuck?!"

Irritated, Murphy glared at his twin as he rubbed at the sore spot on his head, he drawled sarcastically, "As a matter o' fact, yes Connor, that was exactly what I was tryin' ta do…did it work?"

"Why ye fuckin' lil' shithead!" Connor sputtered, launching himself at Murphy, tackling him to the ground.

Duncan, Methos, and Joe watched as the MacManus brothers rolled on the ground- punching and kicking whatever part of the other's body they could connect with- different degrees of amusement lighting their faces. They were well used to this behavior by now.

The MacManus brothers had been living in Paris for close to five months now, while Murphy learned the ins and outs of 'Immortal Etiquette' from Duncan and Methos. And it was a well known fact that while the brothers were fiercely loyal to each other, that they could (and often would) get into scuffling matches that often left one or the both of them bruised and/or bloody.

Putting fingers to his lips, Methos let loose a shrill whistle which effectively stopped both men. Quirking an eyebrow, he asked "Are you quite through?"

Looking at each other, both men shrugged before Murphy answered, "Yeah, we're done now."

"So Murphy, do you have any idea what happened to you?" Joe asked.

"No, I don't. As ye saw, everything was fine, and all of the sudden it felt like something was smotherin' me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't catch my breath; and the feelin' o' absolute terror and panic was clawin' at me. I wanted ta scream, but nothin' would come out o' my throat," Murphy recalled with a shudder, "It was a horrible feelin'!"

As Joe, Duncan, Connor, and Murphy speculated on what had occurred, Methos stayed silent, deep in thought.

To Methos, Murphy's situation reeked of the supernatural and he wondered if perhaps his contact within the Slayers' branch of the Watchers Council would know anything about it; because if anyone would have that kind of information, it would be the Slayer's side of the Watchers Council.

Later tonight, he would look for his contact's number, he promised himself. Methos just hoped that the information was still current. Yes, if anyone would know about what happened, it would be Wesley Wyndam-Pryce.

* * *

As they drove back to Sunnydale, Faith told Wes what had caused her to freak out back in L.A.

"I don't know how or why, Wes, but I felt that connection to Buffy come back! I can't understand why it would spark again; but if anyone would know or have the answers, it'll be Red," Faith stated. "I suspect it has something to do with Red's mojo, because she and the others have been really cagey around us lately. And my Slayer intuition is tellin' me that whatever they're scheming, it isn't anything good."

"The timing couldn't have been worse, in my opinion. What with Giles heading back to England permanently," Wesley sighed. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

Faith nodded in grim agreement; the uneasy knot in her stomach wouldn't go away, so Faith tried to prepare herself mentally for whatever happened.

As they drove past the 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign, both Faith and Wesley were tired and cranky, and it was quite late already, so they agreed to head back to the apartment they shared, to get at least a few hours of sleep before confronting the Scoobies.

* * *

**9:13am**

As they made their way up to the Summers' house, the sense of dread that Faith had been experiencing had amped up to seriously wig-worthy. Whatever was going on, she was certain that she'd need to restrain her desire to crack heads open. As for Wesley, he could see how tense Faith was, and it caused him an undue amount of trepidation.

Faith used the key Buffy had given her, to let Wes and herself into the house, calling out, "Yo Red, Glenda! Anybody here?"

When no one answered or came down the stairs, she figured they'd either left for school or to the Magic Box, so she went to the kitchen in search of something to write a note for the witches to let them know she was back, and needed to speak with everyone. When she saw the back door standing open, she went to investigate, with Wes trailing after her.

Looking out to the backyard, she saw something that would have had her collapsing to the ground, if Wes hadn't been behind her to catch her as she stumbled; the Scoobies sat on the chairs and bench facing a familiar blonde.

All that Faith could do was gasp as her heart leapt into her throat at the sight of her sister Slayer.

Wesley looked out to see what had caused Faith to stumble and gasp, and what he saw left him gob smacked. Standing not even thirty feet away- alive once again- was Buffy! It shouldn't be possible! The only sentence that Wesley could utter with any amount of coherency was, "Oh dear God!"

The Scoobies heads' whipped around to the back door when they heard a familiar British voice exclaim, "Oh dear God!" Seeing Faith and Wesley standing on the back porch, Willow blanched. This was not good at all. Wesley looked pale and shaken, while Faith's expression was somewhere between hopeful and pure fury.

Faith slowly made her way down the steps of the back porch to where the Scoobies and Buffy were congregated, unaware that her gait had become measured and predatory, her Slayer essence closer to the surface than normal.

Trying for levity, Faith gave Buffy a once over before saying, "Hey B! You're looking pretty good for a dead woman. You're not a zombie, are you?"

The briefest hint of amusement passed over Buffy's face before she responded with an impassive "Hello Faith."

"So, what's going on? Aside from the obvious, that is?" Faith asked. "What's with the powwow so early in the morning?"

"We were discussing the fact that Buffy may have brought a hitchhiking demon with her back from hell," Anya said in her usual, tactless fashion.

"Anya!" Xander exclaimed.

"A hitchhiker, you say? Why do you say that? What reason do you base this on?" Wesley asked curious.

"Well, last night, something possessed Anya, and used Buffy's form to give Tara and me a scare. So we were trying to figure out what it was." Willow explained.

"Hmm, I see… well, perhaps we should meet at the Magic Box to research it, hmm?" Wesley said.

With that, everyone left to do whatever needed done before heading to the Magic Box to do some research.

* * *

**Wes and Faith's Apartment:**

Faith's emotions were in turmoil. Pacing angrily, Faith wanted to hit something in the worst way!

She couldn't decide if she should be apoplectic with rage, or deliriously happy to have Buffy back. And to her, Buffy seemed off somehow, like she wasn't all there. Faith remembered the only time Buffy had ever been that cool and indifferent was when Buffy almost killed her to cure Angel, after she had poisoned him.

She was definitely pissed at the Scoobies for using mojo to bring Buffy back to life! Why would they do something like that?! Why couldn't they just let Buffy rest in peace?! What would Giles have to say about this?

"Faith, are you alright?"

Spinning in the direction of the voice, Faith saw Wes standing in the doorway of her bedroom, watching her with concern. "No Wes, I'm not! I just can't believe that Buffy is alive! It's so surreal. What could they have possibly been thinking Wes?! Why would Willow and Tara do something like this?"

"I honestly don't know Faith. Of all the books I've read on resurrection magic, they all agree on one thing- that it is quite dangerous and not to be trifled with by the average magical practitioner. I had no idea Tara or Willow were that proficient in magic," Wes said, "In fact, most resurrection spells border on dark magic. I must admit that I am quite concerned about this, and I think that I need to have a conversation with Giles when he comes back to Sunnydale. Which I have no doubt he will once he learns of Buffy's return."

"Did you notice any difference in B's behavior, Wes? 'Cos she seems off to me, somehow."

"She did appear to be depressed, now that I think about it."

"Like she's not happy to be back, right? And you'd think if she had been in hell, she'd be grateful to be back. Would it even be possible for a Slayer to end up in hell? I'd think that barring Buffy going bad like I did, she would go to Heaven or something like it, right?"

"Obviously, I cannot say anything definitively, but I believe that you may be on to something. But again, I must speak with Giles about this." Wesley concluded.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 18: Reactions, Actions, and the Consequences**

**Reactions, Actions, and the Consequences:**

**Summary:**** The truth of where Buffy really was is revealed to all. Someone from Buffy's past will make a surprising reappearance.**

**Timeline:**** BtVS- 'Once More With Feeling' and mentions of 'Tabula Rasa' with a slightly different twist. Highlander- while in Paris, otherwise completely A/U. Boondock Saints- after the movie, but before the sequel.**

**Disclaimer:**** Buffy belongs to Joss Whedon & Mutant Enemy. Boondock Saints belongs to Troy Duffy & Franchise Films/Stage 6. Highlander belongs to Panzer-Davis/Rysher TPE; etc.**

**A/N:**** As always, many special thanks goes out to my wonderful Beta: mmooch.**

**The Bronze**

**(Buffy singing 'Something to Sing About' third or fourth verse)**

_**There was no pain; no fear, no doubt**_

'_**Till they pulled me out of Heaven**_

_**So that's my refrain, I live in Hell**_

'_**Cos I've been expelled from Heaven-**_

_**I think I was in Heaven…**_

_**So give me something to sing about**_

_**Please… give me something**_

Everyone watches as Buffy vaults off of the stage and begins a manic dance routine- the implications of the song-forced confession sinking in with the participants responsible for Buffy's silent pain and suffering. Soon however, smoke appears and the demon, Sweet leans forward in anticipation- when Spike, of all people, halts Buffy's motions.

The only sound Faith could hear was the rush and roar of blood in her head, pounding in perfect rhythm with the steadily rising anger. Suddenly, everything became so clear- Buffy's apathy and emotional distance- and Faith knew her instincts had been right all along.

Volatile anger was bubbling just beneath surface of Faith's psyche, and she was overwhelmed with an urge to cause the Scoobies momentous amounts of pain on Buffy's behalf. So before she gave into the desire, Faith stormed out of the Bronze, therefore missing when Buffy and Spike kissed in the alley behind the Magic Box.

**(Over an hour later)**

**Xander's Apartment:**

At the dining room table four people sat, pointedly ignoring the elephant in the room. The silence was stifling, but no one wanted to broach the subject that was responsible for it.

A loud knocking at the door broke the silence, which was almost a relief in and of itself. Xander rose from the table to answer the door and he was unsurprised to see a pissed off and somewhat battered looking Faith standing there. Resigned to the events that were sure to come, Xander stepped off to the side, allowing Faith entrance into the apartment.

Stalking forward into the apartment- the heat and ferocity of her rage fairly scorching the air in the room- Faith glared at the three women sitting at the table. Both Anya and Tara had the grace to look deeply remorseful and shamed of their culpability in this fiasco, while Willow only looked slightly guilty of what she'd done. When Xander sat back down at the table, Faith gave in to her rage, at least verbally. "Why?"

When no one responded, it just added fuel to her rage. "Can one of you please explain to me why the fuck you pulled the stunt you did? Why the fuck would you do that to Buffy?! What the fucking HELL were you thinking of?! Or were you even thinking at all?! Because I'm voting on a big fucking 'No'! It wasn't because you needed a Slayer to guard the Hellmouth, because I've been here all this time. Or is it because I'm not Buffy?! Accept no substitute, isn't that right?"

Willow opened her mouth to defend herself and the others when Faith cut her off. "You're supposed to be her goddamned friends!! And yet you ripped her away from her peace without a thought of trying to determine where she may have actually been, didn't you?!? She sacrificed everything so that her sister and her daughter… hell, the whole fucking world could go on living!! Even you ungrateful assholes! But no! You selfish fucks went and shit all over her sacrifice and flipped her the metaphorical finger and said 'No thank you! If we have to suffer, then so do you!'" Faith growled.

"We thought she was in Hell! Glory's portal was supposed to lead her back to her own Hell dimension! How were we to know that Buffy was going to end up in Heaven? After all, when Angel was sucked into that portal by Acathla, he went to Hell, and spent hundreds of years suffering brutal torment! I couldn't let that happen to Buffy!" Willow cried.

Sneering at Red's reasoning, Faith replied, "Oh yeah, because Angel was a good way to measure it by. Did it ever occur to you that when Angel was sucked into Hell, his _**WHOLE FUCKING BODY**_ got sucked in as well?! Did Buffy's entire body get sucked into the portal?!? No!! And, Angel had to suffer for Angelus' crimes. What crimes had Buffy committed that would get her sent to Hell?!? I could see it being me that went to Hell, but not Buffy. But answer me this Red… did you even TRY finding a spell that may have told you where Buffy's soul could have been?" She watched as Red's mouth opened and closed, no words coming out.

"I didn't think so!" Glaring at Red once again, she said, "You were so sure you had all the answers, and that you couldn't possibly be mistaken, weren't you? Yeah, you're the bad ass Wicca, aren't ya? By the way, do the others know? Did you even include them in the decision-making process? Or was your word the final say on everything?"

Seeing the look of uncertainty cross over Red's face, as confusion marred everyone else's face, she continued. "Oh, I know more about the spell you did than you realize, Red. After that whole hitchhiking demon problem, Wes did some research on your resurrection spell. I know it involved dark magick. So tell me Red, did you feel any remorse when you stuck your knife into it? And just what kind of innocent blood was it?"

At the 'innocent blood' comment, the others went into an uproar, Xander and Anya each bellowing to be heard, while Tara looked sad and resolved. Spinning on her heel, Faith gave one last parting shot before opening the door to the apartment and walking out. "I never would have believed you could behave this selfishly, Red. After all the shit you gave me for siding with the Mayor and betraying Buffy's friendship, you went and fucked her over just as bad as I did. You actually disgust me." And with that, Faith walked away from the Scoobies letting them deal with all she had said, slamming the door behind her.

The others were in an uproar over Faith's visit. Xander and Anya didn't want to believe that Willow had deceived them all and used a dark spell to bring Buffy back; one that included using innocent blood. While Tara was saddened, she was also resolved. This was the last straw in Tara's book.

It was bad enough that Willow had used the equivalent of magical mind-rape to make her forget about their argument about Willow's overuse of magick for every situation. But the fact that she had deliberately omitted many of the details for the resurrection spell convinced Tara that Willow was heading off the deep end magick-wise, and Tara just couldn't sit idly back and watch as Willow spiraled out of control.

No matter how much she loved the redhead, Tara wouldn't let Willow run roughshod over her. She'd already suffered too much at the hands of her father and brother; Tara refused to allow anyone to do that to her ever again. It was obvious that the only way to save herself was to break up with Willow, and Tara's heart was breaking over it, but she had to do it.

**(Two nights later)**

**Faith's POV**

Well, Red has really done it this time.

After I left the Scoobies the other night, Tara confronted Red about using a spell to violate her mind, along with the fact that she had deliberately lied to them about all the details of Buffy's resurrection spell.

Red swore she would quit using magick, but then she went and used some mojo to make B forget about her stint in Heaven, and Tara to forget yet another disagreement. Only it didn't work quite like Red had planned.

The spell caused everyone to lose their memories. Giles and Anya thought they were engaged, and Spike thought he was Giles' son; while Xander and Red thought they were dating, though Red was attracted to Tara. And B, Dawn, and I thought we were actually sisters by blood. One of Spike's bookies came after him, and it was this whole big mess. Man, that vamp just needs to be staked in a big way! He is way too much trouble.

But the gist of it is, that Tara realized that Red had used magick again after promising to quit only hours earlier. And she couldn't deal with the constant deception on top of everything else. So she moved out of the Summers' house and back into the university dorms. Little D is upset with Tara; she doesn't understand why Tara had to leave.

But the big news is that Giles went back to England. He says that he is holding Buffy back from growing into a responsible adult and all that. What a load of bullshit, if you ask me!

I can't believe that he would bail on Buffy like that, especially after finding out that she was ripped from Heaven. Buffy is devastated; yet another shining example of the men in Buffy's life- always leaving her when the going gets tough. And to think, I used to envy her for everything she had... boy, is my face red.

I actually find myself grateful to have Wes. He has turned out to be an upstanding guy after all is said and done.

**Later that night**

As Faith and Buffy patrolled, Faith kept a discreet eye on Buffy, but she was in her own little world.

Faith was troubled by the lack of closeness that they used to share. Faith wanted Buffy to talk to her, but because she wasn't the type to do "girl talk", Faith was at a loss on how to go about getting Buffy to confide in her.

Buffy could feel the concerned looks that Faith was shooting in her direction. It felt like an invisible wall that neither could overcome. She knew that Faith wanted her to confide in her, but Buffy didn't know where to begin. _**'How can**_ _**I tell Faith that I willingly kissed Spike, twice?'**_ Buffy thought. _**'Will she**_ _**understand? I mean, out of everyone, I know that she would best understand, but would she judge me for it? God knows that when she was going through her own rough patch that I did nothing to help her through it. In fact, instead of being a friend, I was a self-righteous bitch to her.'**_

'_**Ever since those kisses, Spike's been pulling his 'lovesick vamp' routine again. No matter where I go, he inevitably shows up, and I just know that he's undressing me with his eyes. I feel so dirty!'**_

'_**But, I guess it's what I deserve… stuck in this Hell, continually risking my life for strangers that don't even know about the threat that lurks underneath their noses… and for my so-called friends. I know that they say they feel remorseful, but I just can't get over it, much less forgive them. It's much too soon for that.'**_

Before Buffy could get any deeper into her broody thoughts, a large group of vampires were heading towards her and Faith.

"So B, you ready for this?" Faith asked in anticipation, watching as the vamps came after her and Buffy.

"As I'll ever be, Faith," Buffy responded, as she side-stepped the first vampire, easily staking him. Soon the thrill of the hunt engulfed Buffy, and she relished the sense of satisfaction and purpose she got from slaying. It was the one thing she could count on since her confession to everyone about where she'd been while dead.

Faith took a moment from the vamp she was pummeling to notice the look of bliss on Buffy's face. _**'There's my girl'**_, Faith thought. Sensing the vamp trying to sneak up behind her, Faith swung her stake backwards, hitting it right in its heart. This is what Faith had been missing lately- this sense of camaraderie with Buffy- the sharing of the burden of Slayerness. When all the vamps were taken care of, Faith turned to Buffy, "So… what do you say to burgers? 'Cos I'm starving."

Breathing a bit harder than normal from the exertion, Buffy nodded, "I could eat... and burgers sound really good right now. Oh! And an order of onion rings and French fries, along with a mocha milkshake too." At the mention of food, Buffy's stomach growled. Faith laughed and looped her arm through Buffy's, pulling her towards the late night burger joint they often went to after patrolling.

At the Burger Barn, both Buffy and Faith ordered two double chili cheeseburgers with chili cheese fries and an order of onion rings, and a mocha milkshake for Buffy, while Faith ordered a chocolate malt milkshake. After receiving their food, they went to sit at a booth looking out into the night. For several minutes, nothing was said as both women ate with gusto. With her hunger sated for the moment, Faith sat back intent on talking to Buffy. "So B, what's been going on inside that head of yours lately?"

With a blank and impassive expression Buffy answered flatly, "I have no idea what you're talking about Faith."

"That's bullshit, B, and you know it! I can tell that something's bothering you. Why won't you talk to me? I'm your friend too, you know. I don't get how you can't seem to trust me anymore. You know I won't judge you, or hold whatever you have to say against you like the others would. Hell, I'd be a damned hypocrite if I did, after all the bad things I've done."

Several long minutes passed as Buffy silently debated with herself on whether or not she should say anything to Faith. Coming to a conclusion, Buffy decided to put her trust in Faith and open up to her. "Okay Faith, you win. I'll talk to you." So for the next hour or so, Buffy confided in Faith everything she had been struggling with since being torn out of Heaven.

Faith was stunned by some of the things that Buffy had told her- like Buffy's one perfect day with a fully human Angel almost two years ago. How he'd selfishly sacrificed his humanity because he couldn't protect her (or anyone else) as a normal human being. Then there was the knowledge that Dawn was made from more than just Buffy. Apparently, the monks had used Buffy and Faith's DNA, along with the DNA of two others to create Dawn's physical form.

Buffy also confessed to how much she hated herself these days. How there must be something wrong with her if Heaven had been willing to let her go so easily, which Faith had immediately objected to. Then she told Faith how she'd given in to Spike's advances and kissed him twice, in her moments of weakness. She had also expressed her hurt and bewilderment at Giles' desertion of her during her time of need.

When Faith had asked Buffy why she hadn't gone after her daughter, Buffy claimed she didn't think she could give her daughter the kind of love and attention she needed, and that Rowan was better off with just her dad for the time being, until Buffy could get her head together and not wake up every morning wishing for death once more… which was something that Faith could understand, to a certain degree.

Trailing off, Buffy realized that she felt somewhat lighter for having confided in Faith all that was troubling her. She still had a long way to go towards feeling normal again, but she knew that she had someone on her side that would be her port in a storm, if need be. And that was something, wasn't it?

**The Next Morning:**

Buffy awoke to the sound of knocking on the front door. Reaching for her alarm clock, Buffy cracked open one eye against the bright morning sunshine to see what time it was. Groaning aloud at the early hour, Buffy reluctantly threw back her covers to get out of bed, swearing under her breath about causing bodily harm to whoever was at the door, if it wasn't a case of life or death.

Leaving her bedroom, Buffy slowly made her way down the hall, fully intent on causing bodily harm. But before she made it all the way down the stairs, she heard Dawn's high-pitched squeak of "What are you doing here?" Concerned, she rushed down the remaining stairs and almost collided with Dawn just inside the front door. Blinking at who she saw, Buffy rubbed at her eyes to make sure she wasn't dreaming still. Once she was certain he wasn't a mirage she snarled, "What the hell are you doing here?"

_**Next chapter: We find out just who Buffy and Dawn's visitor is… **_


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 19: Look What the Cat Dragged In**

**Disclaimer:**** All recognizable characters and situations are owned by their respective creators.**

**Summary:**** Ghosts of the past materialize and make their presence known…**

**Timeline:**** Set three days after 'Tabula Rasa', which I'm going to say is around November 10****th****, 2001. All episodes after are mostly non-canon compliant, and not airdate-specific.**

**A/N:**** Thanks, as always, goes to my wonderful Beta: mmooch. Any mistakes not caught belong solely to me.**

**A/N #2:**** I know the context in which I'm using the means of political asylum as an explanation is- in all likelihood- totally wrong. I just ask that if you are knowledgeable in such topics, to please just ignore how I've butchered the actual definition of it. It's a necessary evil to my plotline. So, please forgive me for butchering it (and possibly annoying people).**

**A/N#3: I find it rather disheartening that while I'm getting readers to this story- who will put me on 'Story Alert, Favorites'- but when it comes to actual reviews... I get jack, with a whole lotta squat. WTF? Is it really that hard to do? Reviewing and ConCrit help me as a writer, and it lets me know what you want/hope to see, etc. So, for the Love of everything good and holy, please review to let me know what you're thinking...**

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He wasn't surprised by Buffy's reaction to him. In fact, he'd been expecting it; although he did find himself thankful that she had yet to slam the door in his face, because she was well within her rights to do so. But Hank Summers was praying that his luck would hold on a bit longer, and that Buffy and Dawn were willing to listen to his reasons for being MIA.

Buffy stared incredulously at her father. _**'Un-fucking-believable! Three years… it's been three years since we've heard a peep from him, and all of a sudden, he shows up from wherever the hell he's been gallivanting about? This is total bullshit! No matter what, I won't allow him to come around and screw with our heads, only to leave when the going gets tough!'**_

"What the fuck do you want?" Buffy growled, protectively placing herself between Dawn and their father.

Hank smiled at his eldest daughter, "Hello Buffy. It's good to see you."

"I'd like to say that the same sentiment applies, but that would be a lie. So, I'll ask you one more time, and then I'm going to get testy. What. The. Fuck. Do. You. Want?"

"Now Buffy, I know you're angry, and you both have every right to be, but I do have very good reasons for why I lost contact, if you'd please just let me explain," Hank pleaded.

Looking back at Dawn and seeing the pleading expression on her little sister's face, Buffy felt torn. On the one hand, she just wanted to slam the door in Hank's face; but on the other, Buffy really wanted to know what had been so important that he could forsake them so easily. Sighing in defeat, she stepped back, gesturing Hank inside. "Dawn, why don't you go get the coffee started while I have a talk with Hank?"

Recognizing Buffy's tone, and seeing her Dad flinch at Buffy's use of his first name, Dawn didn't even try to argue her way into that conversation. As she headed into the kitchen, Buffy led Hank into the living room.

Buffy waited until Hank was seated before she started demanding answers. "Now that you're in, tell me- because I really want to know- what're your 'really good reasons' for skipping out on Dawn and me for the last three years? What was so important that you couldn't be bothered to come back here when Mom got sick? Dawn and I needed you! All anyone knew was that you were in Spain with your secretary." Taking a deep breath, she plowed on, "So, _**Dad**_, was she worth it? Was your latest chippie worth screwing up the relationship we could've had?"

Hank couldn't keep from flinching at every accusation Buffy threw his way; he had to tell them the whole truth if he had any hope of salvaging his relationship with his daughters. When Dawn walked into the room with a cup of coffee for him, all he could manage was a pained smile as a thank you. "Buffy, Dawn, I'm truly sorry for not being here when Joyce died, and I don't know if what I'm about to tell you will change anything, but I want to at least explain why I was away from all three of you."

"Go on, _**Dad**_, explain why you left us. I'm sure you had a very good reason," Buffy sneered.

"I didn't want to leave you, but I had to, Buffy. It was the only way to keep the three of you protected."

"Protect us? Protect us from what, the fact that you're a self-centered and selfish son of a bitch?"

"No. I had to protect the three of you from some people that I used to work with. They are very dangerous people, and I couldn't bear the thought that any harm could've come to any of you because of these former associates… especially if they'd decided to use any of you as leverage, in trying to persuade me to rejoin their 'employment' ranks."

"What? What danger could a bunch of aging CPAs be? And why would anyone try to use us as leverage against you?"

"Because, I wasn't completely honest with your Mom when we got married all those years ago; I wasn't just an accountant, Buffy... When I was younger, I used to be a part of the Russian mafia as a go-fer to the Big Boss. During that time, we became quite close, and he'd taken an immense liking to me, he treated me like a son, and he wanted to groom me to eventually take over his spot as the Big Boss when he 'retired'. Needless to say, that didn't sit well with his actual son, who was supposed to be his heir apparent."

"Arkady became extremely jealous of my position," Hank confessed. "A year after I'd gotten married to your mother- and not too long after you were born- he came up with a scheme to get rid of me, and he decided to use your mother as a pawn in his devious machinations. Suffice it to say, his plot did work- only not the way Arkady had intended. I couldn't risk anything like that ever occurring again, and so I decided to get out of that life."

"You were a member of the mafia?" Buffy asked in disbelief. "You expect us to believe that you were once a member of the Russian mob? How stupid do you think we are?"

"Wait a minute! You said that they used Mom as a pawn? How's that possible? And what do you mean again? Don't you think Mom would've said something about it to us?" Dawn interrupted.

"No, Dawn, she wouldn't have, because I'm not talking about Joyce. Joyce wasn't my first wife; nor was she Buffy's biological mother." Turning to face his eldest, "Buffy, you were only seven months old when your birth mother was killed in a vendetta against me; and after that happened, I couldn't risk any harm coming to you as well."

Seeing their stunned reactions, he explained. "I was eighteen years old when I first met your biological mother, Buffy, and she was only sixteen. It was during the summer break at the end of my freshman year at college. I had gone home to Moscow, and I wasn't a full-fledged member of the mob yet- but that was because it was expected that I would finish my schooling before becoming fully immersed in it."

"She was the only daughter of one of the lesser lieutenants for the Big Boss at the time. Her name was Natascha Larionova, and she was a tiny thing, with large blue-green eyes and the blondest hair I'd ever seen. She was feisty and spirited, with a quick wit and scathing tongue whenever her temper was roused, which was one of the many traits that drew me to her. It was love at first sight for me; although it took some convincing on my part to get her to even agree to go on a date with me."

Both Buffy and Dawn were speechless. All this time, Buffy had believed that Joyce was her birth mom. Only to have her world turned upside down once again. _**'Why did this always happen to me? Am I cursed or something?'**_

"So, you're telling me that all this time, everything I've ever believed about myself has been a lie?" Buffy asked shakily.

"Not a lie, per se. It just wasn't the whole story. But, Buffy, there wasn't a single moment when Joyce ever thought of you as anything but her daughter. As far as she was concerned, you were her daughter in everything but blood."

"Why did you never tell me? Didn't you think I had a right to know? So, what was my _**actual**_ given name? _**When**_ was I actually born? _**Where**_ was I born? And when exactly did I become Buffy Summers?"

Hearing the pain in her big sister's voice, Dawn wrapped Buffy into a fierce hug, as their Dad answered her questions. Scowling, Dawn wanted to curse out loud over this new revelation. _**'Why did this always happen to Buffy? Why couldn't she ever seem to catch a break?'**_

"You were born September 12th, 1980 in a Moscow hospital at 7:28pm. The name your mother and I had chosen for you was Anastasiya Rayna Zimanova. And just so you know, she loved you more than anything in this world, Buffy. But, when she was taken hostage, she ended up getting caught in the crossfire of that vendetta which Arkady had against me. She was shot numerous times in the ensuing melee. She fought so hard to survive for you, but the damage was too extensive, and she couldn't hold on. She ended up dying en route to the hospital," Hank explained.

"I was devastated when your mother died. After she was buried, I went to my father- who was a well-respected scholar within Russian academia at the time- and I begged him to help me get you away from Russia, and that life. He agreed to help me, only because he didn't want to see you grow up into that kind of life any more than I did."

Hank drank some of his coffee before continuing. "So, we defected from the USSR to the US on July 14th, 1981, where we immediately sought political asylum. And over a year and a half after being granted political asylum by the US government, I became a US citizen, and ceased to be Nikolai Leonid Zimanov, instead I became Henry Douglas Summers, while your grandfather became Andrew Michael Summers, and you became Elisabeth Anne Summers."

"I went back to college under my new alias here in California, where I met Joyce Cameron and we eventually started dating. Once we both graduated college- three years later- we got engaged and married in a small ceremony right on the beach. Joyce formally adopted you, and we moved to the house you grew up in, and she gave you the nickname of 'Buffy'. You liked it so much as a child that you refused to answer to anything else, and so the nickname stuck."

Unaware of the tears running down her face, Buffy tried to absorb all the information she had just learned. But it still didn't explain everything. "This new information about my roots still doesn't explain where you've been all this time though."

Buffy and Dawn listened as Hank told them about having been remembered by a former friend who was still an active member of the mafia, where Arkady was now the Big Boss. Knowing it was only a matter of time before someone from within Arkady's group came after him and his family- using them as an example of what it meant to go against him.

Not wanting to risk the chance of anything happening to them, Hank had perpetuated Joyce's heretofore unfounded accusations of infidelity; while also using Buffy's troubles in school, and her subsequent expulsion as a way to eventually fade from their lives without having to explain what was actually going on, or that he would have to go into hiding as part of the Witness Protection Program. He would just slowly taper off with visits and eventually would stop coming around all together; playing up the 'Deadbeat Dad' angle.

"Now do you understand why I had to go? And why it was better that you hate me, rather than me putting your lives in danger like that?" Hank asked. "You girls don't know how many times I picked up the phone to call you, only to hang up again; or how many times I almost hopped onto an airplane to come to Sunnydale, before common sense kicked in and I had to force myself to think of what the repercussions of those actions would cause. Especially when I found out that Joyce had died. I wanted so badly to come and show my support throughout the whole ordeal; but it still wasn't safe for me to be around you… In fact, it wasn't until a few weeks ago- when I got word that the reasons I left weren't a factor anymore- that I made travel plans so that I could come here as soon as was possible."

Over the past two weeks, Hank reacquainted himself with his daughters. He was amazingly grateful for their apparent willingness to allow him this opportunity, and he was determined not to screw it up.

Dawn loved having her Dad back in her life. He was sincerely interested in getting to know her- and since he didn't know about her true origins just yet- he still believed that she was his biological daughter, and Dawn was loathe to disabuse him of that notion. But she knew that sooner or later, he would find out the truth, and Dawn could only pray that when it happened, her Dad wouldn't turn his back on her.

Buffy was having a harder time trusting their father than Dawn, simply because she was certain that he'd bail on them again. Although she hoped, for Dawn's sake as much as her own, that he would stick around this time; especially when the topic of the supernatural reared its ugly head.

During the first couple of visits, Buffy had been aloof towards her father- part of that was because she was still hurt and reeling from Giles' desertion of her in her time of need; but the other reason was simple enough, whenever something was going good in her life, the PtB made it Their life's mission to pull the rug out from underneath her feet. Secretly though, Buffy hoped things with her father would work out, because she was tired of having the important men in her life bailing whenever the waters got rough. _Also_, while she wouldn't ever admit it aloud- because she was supposed to be beyond it by now- but Buffy missed being her Daddy's Little Princess.

Hank wandered the living room as he waited for Dawn and Buffy to finish getting ready to go out to dinner.

While he waited, he took the time to really look at the photos lining the mantel of the fireplace. There were pictures of Joyce, Dawn, and Buffy smiling for the camera; there was a picture of Buffy with a brunette male and female, along with a blonde and red-haired female; Hank assumed that these were Buffy's friends. Then there were pictures of Buffy and her friends sitting in some shop with a distinguished looking older gentleman, smiling for the camera. He wondered if maybe that man had been Joyce's boyfriend.

But when he came across a picture of Buffy holding a baby, Hank was stunned. In it Buffy looked tired, though she was glowing with the same light that he remembered both Natascha and Joyce having after giving birth. Joyous wonder filled her face. And there were others of that same baby sleeping, or staring at the camera. _**'But it couldn't be… could it? Buffy has a baby? She's only twenty years old (…well, twenty-one if you wanted to get technical), she shouldn't have a child yet! She was way too young for that!'**_

Taking several deep breaths, Hank tried to calm himself. Resigning himself to the fact that even if it was true, he really had no right to say anything, did he? After all, he'd been absent from their lives for just over three years now. Dismayed, he thought, _**'So I'm a grandfather now? Where is Buffy's baby now? Why wasn't his grandchild living with them? How old was his grandchild? Neither Buffy nor Dawn had mentioned anything about the baby, so had something happened to his grandchild? Who is the baby's father? Could it be the brunette boy in the pictures?'**_ He had so many questions to ask, but he was unsure how to broach the subject with either of them.

He was broken out of his musings by the sound of both his girls talking as they descended the stairs. Deciding to put aside his need for answers he asked, "So are you girls ready to go?"

When they both nodded, he followed them out the front door, grabbing his coat on the way out. Unlocking the doors to his rental car with the car alarm remote control, he watched in mild surprise as Buffy settled into the back, allowing Dawn to ride shotgun. On the drive to the restaurant, he went through the motions of idle chit chat with them. When they were seated at their table, Hank decided to bring up the subject of moving to Sunnydale with Dawn and Buffy.

Exhaling, Hank just jumped into the subject with both feet. "Girls, I wanted to get your opinions on something… What do you say to the possibility of me moving here to Sunnydale in order to be closer to the two of you? Because I meant it when I said that I wanted to be a part of your lives again. So, I want to know: Would you be okay with that?"

Buffy was shocked by this. _**'Her dad wanted to move to Sunnydale to be closer to them? Was this for real? And he was asking for their opinion on this?'**_ Buffy was sure that she was dreaming, so she tried pinching herself to make sure, and winced at the pain. _**'Should I dare hope? Can he be trusted to stick around when the reality of my life comes a-calling? How the hell am I going to explain the supernatural to him? 'Cos I just know he's going to freak when he finds out, and I don't want to deal with the aftermath of that revelation again!'**_

Dawn was ecstatic by this news. She definitely wanted her dad around. _**'It would be so great having Dad around all the time. I wouldn't be second fiddle to Buffy for attention anymore. It's only fair that I have a parental figure in my life as well. Oh, I hope Buffy doesn't screw this up! Please, oh please let her say yes.'**_

After several minutes passed, Hank couldn't help but feel disappointed. He knew that it was going to be a battle to win them over, but it still stung that they didn't seem too keen on the idea. "I see. Well, it was just a suggestion. If you really don't want me to move here, then I could always stay in L.A., and come for visits…"

Feeling Dawn kick her under the table, Buffy spoke up, "It isn't that we don't want you to move to Sunnydale. But I'm going to be blunt with you. I don't know if I can trust you to stick around when the going gets tough, and I don't want to let you into our lives, only to have you bail again. I don't want for either of us to be disappointed by you again. So, you're going to have to decide: If you're in our lives, you gotta be all in. Or else you should just leave now, and we won't be completely taken by surprise when you leave us hanging once again."

Glaring at Buffy, Dawn butted in, "For the record, I would love to have you move back to Sunnydale… I've missed you, and I want you to be a part of our lives again. While I won't lie and say that I won't be devastated if you bail again, I choose to believe you when you say you want to make amends."

Smiling gratefully at his youngest daughter, Hank felt slightly more hopeful. "I understand your concerns, Buffy, and I want to prove to you that I mean what I say. But I feel that by being in Sunnydale, you could visit with me whenever you wanted to; and also, I could help you out financially. You could go back to college if you wanted to; or if you prefer, you could to go to a trade school instead. I've already missed so much of yours and Dawn's lives as it is, and I don't want to miss anymore."

Buffy felt her resolve weakening. After coming back, Buffy never truly believed she'd be able to go back to college. Not when she found out that she was almost broke, that the money from her Mom's life insurance policy had been sucked almost dry. Making sure that both she and Dawn had a roof over their head, and food to eat became more important, and the money that Giles had given her wasn't going to last too much longer. She really didn't want to get a crappy minimum wage job to support the both of them (and Willow). Her Dad was offering her an out of that dreaded scenario, along with a pledge to help out financially. She'd be a fool to turn down this offer. Sighing deeply, she said, "Okay, if you truly want to move here, I guess I can't stop you. But note that I have some serious reservations about this arrangement."

The rest of the meal was spent discussing lighter topics of conversation. Their dad asked them about what their plans for the summer were, and then he casually brought up the idea of taking a trip somewhere, just the three of them (if they were agreeable to it) after Dawn graduated from junior high. It would be considered a graduation (and for Buffy, a really belated graduation) present for the both of them.


	21. Chapter 21

**CH. 20:**

**DISCLAIMER:**_**BtVS is owned by Joss Whedon & Mutant Enemy. Boondock Saints is owned by Troy Duffy & Franchise Pictures/Stage 6. Highlander is owned by Panzer/Davis and Rysher TPE. I'm just borrowing it for unpaid entertainment purposes only.**_

**SUMMARY:**** A changed take on the episode 'Smashed'. And a call for help from an old friend Wesley's.**

**TIMELINE/SPOILERS:**_**BtVS: Slightly non-canon versions of the episodes 'Smashed', 'Wrecked', and 'Gone'. Boondock Saints: Set before the sequel. Highlander: Haven't figured it out just yet…**_

**A/N:**_**Non-Canon compliant. I'm sorry if you're displeased, but it's necessary. Also, a huge debt of gratitude goes out to my beta: mmooch. **_

_**To the few who reviewed the last two chapters… thank you. And to everyone else… WTF? Where's the love?**_

Faith headed to the Magic Box that night in hopes of seeing Buffy, and getting her to agree on a joint patrol. It had been just over two weeks since they'd last patrolled and hung out together, and Faith missed her sister-Slayer. But, she got the reasons why Buffy had been MIA lately.

Apparently, Buffy and the pipsqueak's father had shown up on their doorstep out of the blue recently, looking to reconcile with them. Both Summers' girls were willing to give their old man the benefit of the doubt, and reacquaint themselves with him, especially after he explained the reasons behind his estrangement.

It was pretty trippy to think that Buffy's life had been that drama filled. Finding out that everything you'd ever thought and believed about yourself could be wrong; and your world turning upside-down all because of a few well intentioned half-truths. Still though, Faith was a bit envious, and would gladly take Buffy's life over her own screwed up childhood and life- but not in the 'Single White Female' kind of way. While Joyce may not have been Buffy's birth mother, she'd at least loved Buffy like she was. Faith's own mother had been more interested in her latest boyfriend- whenever she wasn't fixated on her next buzz or high- than on her own daughter. But she wasn't quite so bitter about it… anymore.

So while Buffy and Dawn had been occupied reconnecting with their Pop, she'd been taking the nightly patrol duties solo, because she was still pissed at the Scoobies, and had point-blank refused their offers to help out.

When she was two blocks from the Magic Box, Faith saw Xander and Anya walking towards her, so she stopped them long enough to ask them of Buffy's whereabouts, before departing from their presence. Trotting in the general direction Buffy had last been seen, hoping she wasn't too far behind her.

Pulling up even with the alley that ran parallel with the Magic Box, the sounds of a scuffle reached her ears. So, erring on the side of caution, Faith used the Slayer's inherent ability to blend into the shadows to her advantage, as she crept further into the alley and closer to the sounds of trouble.

What she saw surprised the hell out of her. Buffy and Spike were in a real knock down, drag-out fight. But that wasn't what was surprising, it was the fact that Spike was able to hit Buffy without the excruciating pain that normally came with harming humans. 'Why was Spike able to hit Buffy? Has his chip stopped working? And if that's the case, why hasn't B dusted the peroxide wonder yet?' So, while she was concerned, Faith knew that Buffy could handle herself, so she decided not to intervene just yet.

When Buffy shoved Spike into an abandoned building, she followed them, curious to see what would happen. Tuning into the words that were being spoken, Faith almost broke in, just so she could dust the bleached menace herself. _**'That stupid excuse for a bloodsucker. How dare he taunt Buffy about coming back wrong!'**_

As he continued to taunt her, Faith could see the anger and fear in Buffy's expression. She was actually buying into his lies, even though verbally, she was giving back as good as she got. When Spike claimed he was in love with Buffy, Faith couldn't help but shudder in revulsion. She smirked at Buffy's retort that he was in love with pain, and that was why he followed her around like a puppy. That seemed more the likely scenario, in Faith's opinion. Entertained, she watched as Buffy whaled on Spike; though she was becoming a bit concerned for her and Buffy's safety, as the building started coming down around them. Faith was brought out of her musings, when she noticed a change in the tone of the fight.

Suddenly, it seemed more heated, more sexual in nature. It was taking on an almost foreplay-ish quality. When Buffy started kissing Spike, Faith decided it was time to intervene.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Faith demanded, as she pulled Spike off of Buffy, earning herself a fist to the jaw for her troubles. She watched dispassionately as Spike grabbed his head with an agonized yell.

Ignoring Spike for the moment, Faith turned to Buffy, "What the hell are you doin', B? Why are you kissing Spike again? Are you trippin' or something? I thought he disgusted you?"

Looking down in shame, Buffy said nothing. She couldn't. There was no adequate way she could explain why she was kissing Spike again.

Seeing the remorse and shame on Buffy's face, she softened. "Look, B, I'm not judging you, alright? I just want to help you. And believe it or not, I get it. I may not know exactly what you're going through, but I get that it's been difficult for you being back here again, after being happy and at peace. But what you're doing now? This punishing yourself and self-hatred kick you're on? It doesn't work. And whatever you were thinking of doing with Spike, it won't solve your problems. In fact, it'll make everything worse. Take it from someone who knows."

In a small voice, Buffy asked, "What's wrong with me, Faith? Why do I feel so disconnected?"

"I don't know, B. I honestly think you need to speak with a professional. As lame as it sounds, seeing a shrink really helped me out. McBroody found her, and she's in the know about the supernatural, so it ain't like anything you tell her will come as a shock."

"Yeah, Goldilocks, that's just what you needed, advice from the psychotic, dysfunctional Slayer!" Spike sneered, looking at Faith scornfully.

"I'd watch it if I were you, Willy Wanna-Bite. I haven't even gotten started on you yet!" Faith said darkly.

"But there must be some truth to what Spike's saying. Why else can he hit me? Maybe I did come back wrong… less human somehow." Buffy muttered, almost to herself.

"NO! No. You are still 100% human, I'm sure of it. You don't ping on my Slaydar, so you can't be less human, no matter what!" Faith assured Buffy. "But if it makes you feel any better, we can go see Wes, and ask him his opinion. I just think it has something to do with the magicks used on you."

Nodding in agreement, Buffy felt a bit of the fear slide away. Maybe with Wes' help, the three of them could come up with a solution for what was wrong with her. "I'm just going to head outside now, you coming with, Faith?"

"I'll be a minute, B. I want to have a few words with the bleached menace."

"Okay, just don't dust him. Dawnie cares about him, and she'd hate us for dusting him, unfortunately," Buffy requested.

Not promising anything, Faith replied, "Go on, I'll be there in a moment." Turning to glare at Spike, she stalked menacingly towards him.

"You just got lucky, vamp. If it hadn't been for B and the pipsqueak wanting you spared, you'd be dust in the wind right now. I know what you're up to, and it ain't gonna work. Not so long as I'm around watching her back. I'm not B, and as far as I'm concerned, you're a soulless monster, and there are no redeeming qualities in you! If you keep trying to mess with her head, I won't hesitate to dust your ass! So I'm warning you right now, and this is the only warning you're gonna get from me: Stay the fuck away from B, if you don't wanna be fitted for an ashtray. If I catch you lurking around her or her house, or the Magic Box, or anywhere else she goes, you're finished, you got me?"

And with that, Faith walked out of the building, leaving Spike behind.

**Next Evening**

**Faith and Wesley's Apartment**

Faith, Buffy, and Wesley sat around the dinner table with open books surrounding them, trying to find out the reason why Spike was able to hit Buffy. After a couple of hours of trying to concentrate on the task at hand, Wesley couldn't ignore the fact that both Slayers were getting restless, and it was starting to show in their fidgety movements. So, tiring of trying to concentrate with their bored sighs, he dismissed them to go train.

After they left the room, Wesley immersed himself in his books, making occasional notes on things that seemed even remotely relevant to the matter at hand.

In Faith's makeshift training room, Faith and Buffy went through the Tai Chi katas they usually started off with whenever they trained together. To anyone who watched, it would be quite interesting to note how well the Light and Dark Slayers complemented each other. They were like two sides of the same coin.

Finishing up the katas, Faith spoke, "So, B, do you wanna jump right in to the dance, or should we start off with something lighter?"

Feeling slightly more cocky than usual, Buffy smirked before responding, "You that ready to have your ass handed to you, Faith?"

"Well, look whose feeling over-confident. What makes you so sure that I'm gonna get my ass handed to me, Blondie?"

"Well, it's happened so many times before, I'd think you'd be used to the inevitable by now."

Both Slayers grinned ferally in anticipation. They enjoyed the rush that came with these particular sparring sessions. Standing opposite each other, they began to circle, each searching for just the right opening to strike. Buffy was the first to see an opportunity, so she threw the first punch, which Faith easily blocked. They exchanged taunts as well as blows. But as the fight progressed and the hits came faster, with the movements becoming a blur, it was easy to see that while they were pretty evenly matched, Buffy had more creativity to her moves, and could improvise a little bit better than Faith. Not that Faith was a slouch in the creativity department, but her moves were more raw and undisciplined; whereas Buffy's moves had more flair, as she drew from her ice skating and cheerleading experience to think outside the box.

Wesley was deep in research mode when the telephone started ringing. Softly cursing the interruption, he got up to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Wesley Wyndam-Pryce?" asked a cultured voice Wesley thought sounded familiar.

"This is he. May I ask who's inquiring?" Wes replied cautiously.

"My name is Adam Pierson, we met a few years ago, when you were still at the Watcher's Academy, I was one of your guest lecturers there." Adam answered.

"Oh, I remember you now. How are you doing, Adam?"

"I'm doing well. You, my friend, are a hard man to find. I tried getting in contact with you through the Watcher's Council, but they didn't have your number; then I tried calling your family's home, and your mother said you were living in the US now, although she hadn't heard from you recently, and wasn't sure if the telephone number she had for you was even the same one. So I had to do some fancy computer work in order to find you."

Surprised and not a little suspicious as to why Adam had gone to all this trouble, Wesley questioned him about it. "So, care to explain why you've gone through all this trouble to find me? It can't possibly be because you were feeling nostalgic for the good old days."

Amused at the suspicious, almost accusing tone of Wesley's voice, Adam chuckled, "Well you see, I have this friend, and he had a strange experience; and while his brother and a few other of our friends speculated on why he had experienced this odd, albeit brief phenomena, I felt that this may have had something to do with the supernatural, there was just something about it that screamed magic. So I figured that I'd try to get in contact with you, in hopes that you might be able to aid me in this endeavor or at the very least, point me in the right direction."

"I see. Can you tell me what this strange occurrence was? The more I know about it, the easier it will be to figure out."

Relieved that Wesley seemed willing to help him, Adam explained what had happened to Murphy (although he intentionally didn't give him Murphy's name) and why he, Adam, thought it was magic-related.

As Wesley listened, he made notes and asked specific questions that he felt were relevant to the situation. Though, he had a niggling feeling in the back of his mind that there was something strangely familiar in the scenario being told to him, he just couldn't figure out what it was.

Faith and Buffy emerged from their training to find Wesley on the telephone, laughing at something that was being said on the other end. Having never seen him this animated before, both Slayers were curious about whom, or what could make the still slightly stuffy Brit act so carefree. Sharing a curious glance with Buffy, Faith spoke up, with the intention of playfully razzing Wes. "Yo, Princess Margaret, what's the what? Who're you talkin' to that has you acting all loose and carefree? Is it a woman? I'll bet it's a woman. You got a girlfriend or something? Oh, I know, it's Fred, isn't it? I bet you're talking to Fred!"

"Who's Fred? Wouldn't Fred be his boyfriend? And I thought that Wes was straight anyway?" Buffy inquired.

Bursting out laughing, Faith turned to Buffy and between laughter, she explained, "Fred is short for Winifred; and Fred's this wicked brilliant chick that Wes, Angel, and Gunn rescued from Pylea."

"What's Pylea?" Buffy asked in confusion.

"That's right, you wouldn't know about that. Pylea is this demon dimension that Cordy got sucked into while workin' on a case with the AI team and Fred had been a slave in that dimension, when Angel rescued her from her "owner"," Faith explained. "Wes has been crushing on her big-time. It's kinda funny watchin' him moon over her from a distance."

Exasperated, Wesley covered the mouthpiece to the telephone, retorting hotly, "I'll have you know, Faith, that I am _**not **_speaking to Fred! And yes, Buffy, I am straight. And no, I do not moon over Fred!"

"Chill, Wes. You know that I'm just razzing you." Faith said in a placating manner.

"Since you're so curious to know, I'm speaking with an old friend of mine from when I was at the Watcher's Academy. He was a mentor to me, as it were. He has a situation involving a friend of his, and he asked for my help in dealing with it."

"Okay, that's cool. Is there anything B or I can help with?" Faith asked, glancing at Buffy to make sure she was cool with helping Wes out with his problem. At her silent acquiescence, she looked expectantly at Wes.

"Hold on a moment, let me ask Adam if it's okay that I share the details of this situation with you." Removing his hand from the mouthpiece of the cordless phone, "Adam, would it be alright with you if I told Faith and Buffy- who's the other Slayer- about your friend's experience? They would like to help out."

Adam found himself a bit stunned at that particular revelation. Exclaiming, "Two Slayers? How can there be two Slayers? I thought there could only be one at a time?"

"Yes, well, that's a complicated story, and not mine to tell, in any case. So, would it be alright to tell them?"

Taking a moment to think about it, Adam wondered if Murphy would be angry with him for talking out of turn. Deciding that the more people helping out, the easier it would be for him in the long run, so he agreed to it. "Alright then, four brains are better than one."

"Let me put you on speaker-phone, that way it will be easier for everyone to hear what's being said, then."

With that Wesley put the cordless phone back into its charger, as he hit the speaker option on the phone, before speaking. "Okay Adam, whenever you're ready."

"Hello ladies, my name is Adam; And may I say, it'll be a pleasure to be speaking with you two ladies," Adam introduced himself.

"Hi Adam, nice to speak to you," Buffy replied, rolling her eyes at Faith's customary greeting of "Yo!"

"So, what's the sitch with this friend of yours?" Buffy asked.

On his end of the line, Adam shook his head at the strange way of speaking that Buffy and Faith had. _**'I guess things haven't changed all that much, children these days are just as odd and exasperating as they were back then.'**_ Adam thought wryly.

Clearing his throat, he explained, "Well, about two and a half, almost three months ago, I and a few friends of mine were hanging out in this bar that belonged to one of them. It was a typical morning, when out of nowhere, my young Irish friend started gasping and choking for air. But the thing is- there was nothing and no one there. I don't know what it was like for my young Irish friend, but I do know that the terror he was experiencing seemed quite real. Now, I'm not all that well-versed in supernatural problems, but I suspected that there might be some kind of demonic or magical explanation, because there simply isn't any other reason for what he went through, in my opinion. And I've known a witch or two in my time that had real power, and could have done something like that. But, my young Irish friend- well, I somehow doubt he has come across any witches of that caliber in his young life."

Wesley and Faith watched with some concern, as Buffy paled considerably at the description of Adam's friend's ordeal. Although, because he was in another part of the world, he couldn't see the effect his words appeared to be having on Buffy.

Concerned for Buffy, Faith interrupted Adam, "Adam, could you stop for a minute." Turning to Buffy, she demanded, "What is it, B? What's wrong?"

Buffy whispered, "I just had a harsh reminder of my own situation. I had this terrible sensation of déjà vu at Adam's friend's ordeal… Give me a minute, and I'll be okay."

"Is everything okay there?" Adam asked with some concern.

"Yeah, dude. Everything is five by five now." Faith said flippantly, although a small amount of consternation entered her eyes as she watched the color return to Buffy's cheeks.

Wesley carefully watched Buffy, puzzling over her reaction to the situation, when it struck him why this problem seemed so familiar. It reminded him of Buffy's own physical responses after her immediate resurrection, and the resulting emotions of having to claw her way out of her own grave… Yes, he knew about that. Faith had been deeply disturbed by the information, and had confided some of it to him, confidentially, of course.

Something else was bothering Wesley about Buffy's reaction, but he didn't want to mention it, in case he was wrong. As he was thinking, he didn't realize that both Buffy and Faith were looking at him expectantly. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Smirking at her Watcher, Faith snorted. "Yeah, Adam asked if you had an idea of what was going on, Mr. Space Case."

"I do apologize, I was deep in thought. To be honest, Adam, I have an idea or two, but they require some research. I'll need to visit an occult bookshop in Los Angeles that deals in rare artifacts and books before I can answer you definitively."

With a defeated sigh, Adam responded, "Okay then. Let me know when you have something concrete."

"So, you don't need us to help with the research yet, Wes?" Buffy asked.

"No, until I have those books, the research would prove fruitless. So if you and Faith want to start your patrol now, I won't mind."

"Okay then Watcher-man. B and I are off to make Sunnydale a safer place for the masses. And Adam, it was nice meeting you. Have a good night guys." Faith said as she and Buffy headed out for patrol.

"Have a good night ladies!" Adam called out from the speaker. A "Thanks!" floated back to him as both Slayers exited the apartment.

Once the door closed behind them, Wesley picked up the cordless again waiting until he was certain that they were gone before he spoke again with an urgent tone, "Adam, something occurred to me, and I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me."

Puzzled over Wesley's tone, he wondered what was bothering him. "Alright, I'll do my best. What is it you wanted to know?"

"This friend of yours, what time did his situation occur?"

"Well, it was about ten in the morning here. Why? What does that have to do with anything?"

"If what I'm thinking is correct, it may make quite a bit of difference to my theory. Now, you also mentioned that your friend is of Irish descent, yes?"

"If you say so… and yes, he's an Irishman. Why?"

"Can you tell me his name? It is a vital piece to the puzzle, if my theory is correct."

"I don't know if I should tell you his name, as he doesn't know that I'm speaking to you about his problem, and seeing as how you haven't given me any answers to my own questions-" Adam broke off, irritated at the lack of answers.

"Adam, please, this is important." Wesley implored. "I'll explain it all as soon as I can. But, please, I need to know this man's name."

"Fine! The young man I'm referring to is named Murphy. Now can I get some answers?"

"You wouldn't happen to mean Murphy MacManus, would you?"

"How in the blue hell did you know his surname, and how do you know Murphy in the first place?" Adam demanded. When Wesley started swearing, Adam felt his eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. He'd never heard the younger man curse quite so vividly before.

"What I'm about to tell you cannot in any way, get back to Murphy, until I've had the chance to speak with Buffy's Watcher, because he'll want to know about this unexpected turn of events. Do you agree to this stipulation?"

Knowing he had no choice but to agree, if he was going to find out what was going on, Adam quickly acquiesced.

"I never met the young man personally, but according to Rupert, Faith, and Willow- one of Buffy's mates- Murphy is the father of her daughter, Rowan. They met in New York City well over a year ago, and had a brief tryst, which resulted in Buffy becoming pregnant. She refused to terminate the pregnancy, which is why Faith and I came back to the Hellmouth. To help her guard against the demonic and vampiric threat while she was incapacitated during her pregnancy."

"However, unbeknownst to everyone here, a new evil had come into town, searching for an item of hers. Now, this was something no one had ever encountered before- needless to say, Buffy was ill prepared to deal with this new threat. Also, during that time, Buffy's mother became seriously ill with a brain tumor, and her beau at the time was causing some stress in her life as well."

"While this is a fascinating tale, it still doesn't explain everything. Why are there two Slayers? I had thought the next one was called after the current one died?" Adam interrupted.

"That's quite true. Now I know I'm speaking out of turn, but it really is an interesting tale. Apparently, when Buffy was sixteen, there was a prophecy that stated that the Master- one of the first vampires in the Aurelius vampire line- was going to rise from his prison, and he and Buffy would fight, and she would die… suffice it to say, she drowned, but was revived by another one of her best mates with CPR. But she died just long enough to call the next Slayer. Then that Slayer died, which called Faith into action." Wesley finished with his summation.

Adam couldn't believe what he was hearing. A Slayer having a child was a very uncommon thing. In his five millennia of living, he had seldom heard of such a thing occurring. Usually, the young woman may have had a child before being called, but almost never afterwards. Buffy was certainly an enigma, wrapped in a mystery. And that she had died at sixteen, and yet she was alive and kicking still. He was in awe of all the horrors she'd had to face at such a young age; he couldn't help but admire the young woman. And that she was willing to help out what she believed to be a perfect stranger… well, she reminded him of the Boy Scout.

"That truly is an amazing tale, but I still don't understand what Murphy's situation has to do with Buffy," he declared.

With a weary sigh, Wesley launched into the next part of his tale of 'Buffy, the Vampire Slayer'. "Because there's still much more to my narrative; you see, the evil entity that came to Sunnydale last year? Her name was Glorificus, and she was an actual hell god. She'd been banished from her own hell dimension, and her essence was forced into the body of a male-child. But as she regained a small fraction of her former powers, she was able to emerge from her prison. And she wanted to find the Key, so that she could return home. The monks who were the protectors of the Key sent it to Buffy to protect, and through a bizarre twist of fate, Glory got her hands on the Key, and the night of the ritual, while Glory and Buffy fought, one of Glory's minions managed to use the Key to start the ritual. But, Buffy was able to defeat Glory, and sacrificing herself to close the portal-which opened the doors to all the dimensions- she was able to close the portal at the cost of her life."

"So, you're telling me that Buffy was dead? Honestly and truly dead? If that's the case, how is she alive now?" Adam asked flabbergasted.

"Yes, she was dead. In fact, she had been dead and buried when her mate, Willow, got an idea to resurrect Buffy into her head. Willow was under the impression that Buffy was stuck in some hell dimension, most likely suffering brutal torment. So, using the 'Rites of Osiris', she managed to resurrect Buffy not too long ago. And that is what I think Murphy experienced. Buffy's resurrection process…"

"By the Gods! What the hell was this Willow girl thinking? How can she be allowed to spell-cast with so much untrained power? Has no coven ever been contacted to properly train this girl? Invoking such a spell is going to have dire consequences! You know that!"

Wesley and Adam continued talking for quite a while afterwards, trying to come up with some way to get Buffy and Murphy into contact with one another.


	22. Chapter 22

**CH. 21:**** Changing the Outcome Pt. 2**

**DISCLAIMER:**

BtVS is owned by Joss Whedon & Mutant Enemy. Boondock Saints is owned by Troy Duffy & Franchise Pictures/Stage 6. Highlander is owned by Panzer/Davis and Rysher TPE. I'm just borrowing it for unpaid entertainment purposes only.

**SUMMARY:**My take on the episodes 'Wrecked' and 'Gone'.

**NOTES:**

Thanks go out to my beta: mmooch. Without your help, this story would probably be dead in the water… so, I raise my glass of juice to you!

**Later that night…**

Buffy and Faith headed over to Buffy's house to check on Dawn and grab something to eat. The house was dark and quiet when they entered, heading towards the kitchen, when they hear a noise from upstairs, pausing to frown, looking up.

"Hello?" Buffy calls out. Getting no answer, she and Faith start up the stairs, with Buffy's boots making a fair amount of noise. "Willow? Dawn?" Motioning for Faith to check out Dawn's room, she moves towards Willow's room, certain that the noise is emanating from there.

Entering Willow's room, Buffy sees the chest containing Willow's magic supplies open, with random items strewn about the floor near it. Walking over to squat down to examine it, Buffy catches movement out of her peripheral vision, whirling around, she jumps up to pin whoever it is against the wall. Gasping at seeing that it's Amy, she's captured.

Noticing that Amy is clutching something against her chest, she demands, "What's going on?"

"Uh-oh, busted." Amy chuckles nervously.

Shaking Amy, she once again demands answers. "Where's Willow?"

"She said- she said I, I-I could have-" Amy spoke, nervous and twitchy. Like a drug addict coming down from a high. As Buffy moves to grab what's she's holding, Amy protests weakly, "—wait."

"What is this?" Wrestling with Amy for the baggie in her hand, with Amy exclaiming, "It's not what you think it is, it's sage!"

Finally managing to pry it from Amy's grasp, Buffy sniffs it, "That is what I think it is." Tossing the baggie aside, she grabs Amy again. "What's going on? Where's Willow and Dawn?"

Faith stops in the doorway of Willow's bedroom, as Buffy interrogates Amy, not bothering to interfere.

Amy is rubbing her arm nervously before replying, "I… I saw- I saw her, but that was-I like your coat. When does the Slayer find time to shop?"

Buffy shakes Amy some more, before slamming her against the wall, prompting her to answer her questions, "So they didn't let you in?"

This time, smiling nervously, Amy's eyes dart around the room, before focusing on Buffy, "Not that they know of?"

"What else did you take?"

"Nothing," Amy lied as Buffy slammed her against the wall again. "Ow!"

"What else?" Buffy asked, growing tired of the fruitless questioning, she began searching through Amy's pockets herself.

"Please! Please, I need this stuff. Willow wants me to have it, she understands," Amy pleads.

Removing several plastic bags and glass vials from Amy's pockets, tossing several things aside, Buffy asks, "Understands what? Breaking into someone's house for kitchen spices? No, I don't think so."

"You should. She's as bad as I am, worse. Bet she's at Rack's right now."

Frowning at this answer, she prompts, "Rack's?"

"A place. He does spells, heavy stuff. Willow's his new favorite," Amy said resentfully.

Casting a worried look at Faith, she slams Amy against the wall again, before shaking her, for good measure. "She's there? With Dawn?"

Amy starts to look a little pale and sickly. "Oh, don't shake me again, super-strength, I think I'm gonna boot."

"Then tell me where it is, and I won't."

"Well, its downtown, but it moves."

"What do you mean, it moves?"

"Its downtown, I'm not sure where it would be tonight exactly-"

"Tell me how to find it!"

"You just kinda have to feel it out… oh god, I think I'm gonna-" Amy runs towards the bathroom, on the verge of throwing up, her hand over her mouth. Buffy turns away, looking disgusted.

"We have to find them, Faith. God only knows what kind of danger Willow and Dawn might be in."

"I agree. But how're we going to find this place, B? If it moves around, there's no telling where it might be," Faith said.

"I think we're going to need Spike's help for this. If this Rack guy deals in magic, and he moves around, maybe Spike or one of his contacts knows something."

**Hours later…**

When they found Dawn, she had been unsuccessfully trying to fend off a demon. Seeing that, Buffy had gone postal. She'd attacked the demon, hell-bent on causing it serious damage for attempting to harm her little sister. In the end, Willow used magic to defeat the demon.

As she, Faith, and Spike tried to get Dawn to the doctor, Willow tried to apologize to Dawn, but Buffy (nor Faith) would allow her close enough to. Buffy had been furious with Willow.

She tried so hard to keep Dawn safe from the things she had to face, but Willow's reckless actions had put Dawn in serious jeopardy. And that was something Buffy had a hard time forgiving. Although, in the end she was willing to try, because the Wicca had been truly remorseful about causing Dawn harm. And it didn't hurt that Willow swore that she was giving up magic for good. So, Buffy chose to give her the benefit of doubt, hoping that her belief in her best friend wasn't misplaced.

**Wednesday morning**

Buffy stood in the doorway of the kitchen, yelling up the stairs. "Dawn, come on, you gotta eat breakfast! Xander's gonna be here any second." Not getting a response, she headed back into the kitchen. "She's gonna be late for school again."

Willow- still in her pajamas- stood at the oven cooking when Buffy looked over to her. "How are you doing?"

Shrugging slightly, Willow said, "I'm okay. Not 'ready to head back to classes; face the world' okay, but… the shakiness is only semi now. I thought I'd spend the day surfing the net, for the poop on the, uh, stolen diamond."

Dawn entered the kitchen at that moment.

"I called you before." Buffy said.

"Didn't hear you," Dawn replied sullenly as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.

"Hey, Dawnie, uh, I'm making you a nice omelet." Willow offered.

Giving her a baleful look, the teen just drank her juice. "Not hungry."

"Dawn, you need to eat something,"

"Thanks for your concern." Dawn slammed her glass down, turning to leave the kitchen.

Willow watched as Dawn stormed out of the kitchen angrily. "Okay, I deserve the wrath of Dawn, but… why is she taking it out on you?"

"Because I let it happen."

"Buffy, I was the one who-"

"…was drowning. My best friend, and I was too wrapped up in my own dumb life to even notice."

Suddenly, a loud knock came from the front door. Willow and Buffy looked at each other, wondering who would be knocking on their door at this time of the morning. As Buffy went to answer the door, Willow headed upstairs to get dressed. Buffy was surprised to see her father standing there. "Dad? What are you doing here?"

"Morning, Buffy. I know that this is unannounced, but I had an appointment with a realtor to go apartment hunting today, and I was wondering if you'd want to come along?" Hank explained hopefully.

Unsure on whether or not she should go, Buffy was about to answer when Dawn appeared behind her. "Who's at the door?"

"Dawn honey, what are you still…" Hank trailed off, noticing that Dawn's left arm was in a sling. "Dawn, what happened?"

Casting a glare at Buffy, she answered, "Got into a car accident."

Not missing the pointed look Dawn tossed Buffy's way, he asked, "How did that happen? Were you driving, Buffy? Was anyone else hurt? Why didn't either of you call me?"

"No, I wasn't driving, Dad. I was at a local 'Neighborhood Watch' meeting, finding out what's been going on with the local gangs lately. We try to keep an eye out, make sure that they aren't causing a whole lot of problems for the citizens of Sunnydale." With that statement, Buffy turned back to give Dawn a silencing look, which, thankfully she chose to heed. "It was a very unfortunate accident caused by a bit of recklessness."

"Can I come in?" Hank asked.

Stepping aside, Buffy gestured her father inside the house. Then she turned to Dawn and said, "Dawnie, why don't you go grab your book bag; Xander should be here any minute now."

"Fine, whatever," Dawn retorted before stomping back upstairs.

Shaking her head at Dawn's attitude, Buffy turned back to her father, "So, Dad, do you want to go into the living room?"

"Buffy, I really think we should talk about the accident Dawn was in. I'm sorry, but this is important."

"Look, Dad, I get that you're concerned, but it really _was_ an accident. Dawn was out with my best friend, Willow, a couple of nights ago, and she wasn't paying attention to the road while she was driving, and so she had to swerve to avoid a dog that ran into the road unexpectedly at the last second, and that's when she hit a light pole," Buffy lied.

"Hey Buff! Is the Dawn-meister ready to go?" Xander called out as he walked into the living room. Upon seeing the older gentleman sitting on the couch, he could see that the man bore a striking resemblance to Buffy and Dawn. So, Xander deduced that this was their father.

"Hey, Xan, she'll be down in just a minute; she's just grabbing her book bag."

"Cool. So… who's this?" Xander asked rhetorically.

"Oh! Sorry, Xander, this is my Dad, Hank Summers; Dad, this is one of my best friends, Xander Harris."

Hank Summers stood up, and as the young man came forward to shake his hand, Xander said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

"Likewise, son," Hank responded. "So, Xander, do you often drive Dawn to school?"

"Umm, no sir, not that often."

"I have an idea, Buffy. Since I'm here, why don't I take Dawn to school and Xander can take a break from chauffeuring Dawn. Since I wanted to spend today with the both of you, this will give me a chance to catch up with her as well."

Hesitant, Buffy pondered this request. She didn't want to object outright, but on the other hand, she worried that Dawn might accidentally slip up, and bring up a conversation that might involve the supernatural around their father - especially since she was pissed off at Buffy. Dawn could be very vindictive when she wanted to be. But saying no might make him suspicious; something that was just as bad. Giving in, she nodded her assent as Dawn came down the stairs. "Dawn, plans have changed, Dad is going to drive you to school today."

"Works for me. I'm ready whenever you are, Dad," Dawn said.

"Let me just use the bathroom, and then we'll go, okay?"

"Alright, I'm going to head outside to wait."

"Sure honey, I'll only be a few minutes."

Their Dad walked upstairs to use the bathroom, when Buffy reminded Dawn that she was to come home right after school, and as Dawn opened the front door, she remarked sarcastically, "Sure. Maybe we can find another way to get me into _another_ car accident."

Unfortunately, a middle-aged woman was standing at the door, holding some papers. Buffy gave Dawn a sour look before noticing the woman standing there.

Removing her glasses, the woman smiled at Dawn. "Oh good morning, you must be Dawn."

Dawn simply nodded in reply.

Buffy interjected, "Can I help you?"

The lady finally introduced herself. "I'm Doris Kroger, from Social Services. We had an appointment?"

"Oh, for Wednesday," Buffy said.

"This is Wednesday," Ms. Kroger replied with a suspicious tone.

Buffy looked to Xander for conformation, and he nodded affirmatively. "Right! Well… Dawn, you better…"

Dawn rolled her eyes in utter adolescent disdain and headed outside, pushing past Ms. Kroger, with Xander following her out. Sighing at Dawn's bratty behavior, Buffy focused on Ms. Kroger.

Ms. Kroger smiled at Buffy. "Little bit on the tardy side, isn't she?"

Closing the front door, Buffy responded, "Yeah, well, uh, it's been one of those mornings, you know." Noticing that Ms. Kroger has already gone into the living room, she muttered, "Hey, come on in."

Ms. Kroger stood in the doorway to the living room, looking around when Buffy walked up beside her. "Sorry about the mess, you know, doing a little house-cleaning."

"So, tell me… it's just you and Dawn living here, right?" Ms. Kroger asked.

"Uh, yeah, it's just Dawn and I," Buffy agreed. When Willow called down the stairs, "Buffy, I'm not feeling so hot, so uh, I'm going to take a quick nap, okay?"

"Okay, Will!" Buffy called, looking nervously at Ms. Kroger, who gave her a questioning look. "That's Willow. She, uh, she kind of lives here too, actually."

"So you live with another woman."

"Oh! Oh, it's not a gay thing, you know, I mean, well…"

Ms. Kroger noticed a box full of magical stuff that needed to be thrown out, and as she was about to pick up a plastic baggie containing herbs, Mr. Summers came down the stairs.

"Buffy, honey, who are you talking to?" he asked.

"Oh, Dad, this is, uh, Ms. Kroger from Social Services."

"Hello, Ms. Kroger, I'm Hank Summers. I'm Buffy and Dawn's father."

"Well, hello, Mr. Summers. I had an appointment with your eldest daughter to discuss her guardianship of her sister."

"I see. Well, Ms. Kroger, how is the interview going so far?" he asked with forced casualness.

"To be honest, Mr. Summers, I'm a little concerned about the stability of Dawn's home life. Her grades have fallen sharply in the last year, due in large part to her frequent absences and lateness. I just don't think that an unemployed young woman like Buffy is capable of providing stability for Dawn."

"I see. Well, Ms. Kroger, as it happens, I am planning on moving to Sunnydale within the next few weeks, so I will be able to help Buffy out with the care of Dawn. You needn't worry about that," Mr. Summers assured silkily.

"Well, in that case, perhaps we should make an appointment for another day, when we can discuss this further…"

The two adults continued talking while Buffy just stood there speechless, as if she wasn't even in the room. Her feelings of annoyance started bubbling up at being excluded from the discussion concerning her guardianship of Dawn.

A minute later, Ms. Kroger left, and Buffy opened her mouth to berate her Dad at his interference when he interrupted the beginnings of her tirade. "I'm sorry for interfering like that Buffy, but I felt it would be in both yours and Dawn's best interest if I intervened on your behalf with Social Services… can you forgive me?"

Thinking about it, she realized that her Dad truly meant well, so she chose to let it go. "So…Dad, do you want to head back here after dropping Dawn off at school, then we can go apartment hunting for you? 'Cos I need to finish cleaning up the house before we go."

"Okay sure, Buffy. I'll be back in a little while, and then we can go apartment hunting, and perhaps we can go to lunch as well?"

"Sure, Dad, I'd like that," Buffy said, giving her Dad a quick hug before sending him off.

As Hank walked out to his car, he wondered at the tension he'd witnessed between Dawn and Buffy. It seemed to him that Dawn was angry at Buffy for more than just the car accident; he just didn't know why. And that was something he wanted to get to the bottom of.

Seeing Dawn standing by his car, he unlocked it remotely as he approached it. "The door is unlocked now, Dawn."

Hank watched as she pulled open the door, and slid into the passenger seat with a sullen expression still marring her features. He resolved to talk to her on the ride to school. Getting behind the wheel, he put the key in the ignition and started the car before he spoke, "So tell me, Solnyshko, why are you so angry with your sister? I sense that it isn't only the car accident that has you angry with her. Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Dad," Dawn retorted snippily. "Why would I be angry with Buffy? She's the bestest guardian ever! How could I possibly be angry with her… just because she's more interested in her own activities than me lately? Or that when I do get her attention, she looks as if she'd rather be anywhere else than with me? Like I'm a burden or something? Or the fact that she's never around when I need her? Why would I be angry at her for that?"

Hank was shocked at the strength of Dawn's hostility. He never knew that Dawn was holding that much anger inside of her. Choosing his words carefully, he asked, "Is it really as bad as all that, Dawn? I know that Buffy can seem self-involved at times, but she _**does**_ love you. I know things have been rough for you both since your mother died."

When Dawn didn't say anything, Hank continued, "Have you even tried talking to her about what's bothering you? She might not even be aware of her actions towards you, or how you've been feeling about it. It isn't easy being a parent to a teenager, you know…especially a teenage daughter. And you have to understand it from her perspective as well, Dawn. She's used to being your sister, not your parental figure. That's a whole different set of rules that need to be followed."

"I _knew_ you would take her side! Everybody loves Buffy! She's so perfect, and I'm nothing but a burden! At least when Mom was alive, I had someone on my side!" Dawn fumed.

"I'm not taking sides, Dawn. I'm just trying to get you to understand how difficult it is being a parent; sometimes we make mistakes, just like any other human being. But I do know one thing. You sister loves you so much, and would do anything for you. I suspect that she would even die to protect you - like any parent would."

Hank watched as the color drained from Dawn's face- never knowing how close to the mark that one statement had hit.

As for Dawn, she was remembering that night on Glory's tower.

**-Begin Flashback- ****(Scene from the episode 'The Gift')**

Buffy and Dawn were standing on the tower platform, with Buffy holding onto Dawn's upper arms while she talked to her. Dawn began crying as lightning continued to crackle and erupt from the portal behind them.

Buffy stroked the side of Dawn's face, then moved to kiss her on the cheek as Dawn cried. Buffy turned, and ran to the end of the platform while Dawn stood there, crying; Buffy swan-dived off the end of the platform and into the portal as Dawn watched. Buffy fell into the portal and hung motionless- and unseen by anyone- expressions of pain crossed her face.

Making her way down the stairs of the tower, Dawn saw the others move closer to Buffy's lifeless body- which was lying atop a pile of bricks and other debris- she slowly made her way down the rest of the stairs. She watched as Willow, Giles, and Spike began to cry. And unable to stop herself, Dawn started to cry again as well. Buffy's words kept repeating themselves in her head.

**-End Flashback-**

Sitting in the car with her father, Dawn replayed the words Buffy told her that night on the tower as if it was yesterday. _'Dawn, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will__** always**__ love you. But this is the work I have to do. Tell Giles… tell Giles that I figured it out. And, and that I'm okay. And give my love to my friends. You have to take care of them now. You have to take care of each other. You have to be strong. Dawn, the hardest thing in this world… is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me.'_

As she remembered that night and those words, Dawn felt shame and remorse starting to creep up on her. Her Dad was right. Even though she wanted to be angry at Buffy for acting the way she was lately, Dawn couldn't deny that Buffy loved her. So much so, that she'd sacrificed her own life in order to give Dawn the chance to live and grow up - even knowing that her own daughter wouldn't get the chance to know her.

In all honesty, Buffy could have (and should have) let Dawn jump that night, but she hadn't, because her sister had that hero act down pat, if truth be told.

Which left Dawn feeling like a total butthole for acting the way she was lately. She had a lot of heavy thinking to do today…

**-Training Room, Magic Box-**

**Same Day, Same time**

Wesley was putting Faith through her usual training session while he tried to come up with a way to bring up the conversation he'd had with Adam. He was in an awkward position, and he knew better than anyone that if he said the wrong thing, Faith would become fiercely overprotective of Buffy.

"So tell me, Faith, how is Buffy doing these days?" Wesley asked cautiously.

"She's doing alright, I guess. Why do you ask?" Faith inquired, becoming wary at his tone.

"Well, I was concerned about her, after you mentioned that she was having some difficulties adjusting to being alive again," Wesley answered innocently. Seeing Faith's skeptical look, he removed the handkerchief from his trouser pocket, so that he could polish his glasses. "Alright, after you and Buffy left for patrol the other night, Adam and I got to talking, and you know that friend that Adam mentioned? Well, as it turns out, that friend- ironically enough- happens to be Murphy MacManus."

"Oh sweet Jesus… tell me this is a joke!" Faith exclaimed.

"I wish I could, Faith. It's anything but a joke. And what's more, I believe that what Murphy experienced was Buffy's resurrection process."

"Well, shit, this just keeps gettin' better and better!" Faith started pacing, trying to settle her rattled nerves. "So, what's the plan? How am I supposed to tell B this? She's already having major issues dealing with Spike, how am I supposed to tell her this?"

"You don't. I need to speak to Giles about this first."

"So, I should what, just keep quiet on this, until you or G-man figures it out? And how do you propose I do that? I don't want to lie to B-" Faith broke off when Willow entered the training room.

"What are you two talking about? What don't you want to lie to Buffy about? What the frilly heck is going on here?" Willow demanded suspiciously.

Faith looked to Wesley, unsure of whether or not to tell the witch what was going on.

But if they didn't say something that would appease the witch, there was no doubt she would say something to Buffy, and Faith didn't want B to find out that she was keeping something from her on purpose, because then she might not trust Faith to have her back. So, deciding to bite the bullet, she told the witch, "It seems that Wes here has a friend in Paris that just so happens to be well-acquainted with Murphy MacManus, and it also would appear as though they have some kind of weird connection to each other."

"Are you serious? What are you talking about? What kind of connection?" Willow asked bewildered.

"I mean, that when you and the others pulled your wacky mojo to resurrect B, at about the same time as she was clawing her way out of her grave, Murphy was enduring, physically, what B was enduring." Faith said in a harsh voice. "So, not only did your mojo damage Buffy psychologically, it seems as though Murphy was affected as well... good job there, Red!"

Willow flinched at the accusation in Faith's words. "B-b-but, that can't be possible. That would mean that they are soul mates, wouldn't it? I-I-I thought Angel was Buffy's soul mate?"

"Nope," Faith answered, emphasizing the 'p' in that one word.

Wesley decided to cut in before Faith went on a rant - righteous as it may be. "Anyway, my friend and I were discussing ways that we might bring Murphy and Buffy together for a reunion of sorts. I think that Buffy seeing her daughter would be beneficial. At the very least, it could help in easing some of the feelings of disconnectedness that Buffy has been experiencing."

"Well, what about Buffy's birthday? It's coming up next month. We can give her a party of some sort, and have Murphy and Rowan make an appearance then?" Willow asked, feeling the desperate need to try and make up for some things.

"That could work… and that gives us enough time to fine-tune the details, so that it doesn't turn into a certified disaster…" Wesley speculated.

So with that thought in mind, Faith, Wesley and Willow started scheming on how to bring the lovers together.


	23. Chapter 23

**DISCLAIMER: **All things **Boondock Saints** or **Buffy the Vampire Slayer** belongs to their respective (and very rich) owners. I gain nothing...

**A/N: **As always, thanks goes out to my fabulous beta: **mmooch**. Without her, all this would be an even bigger mess than it is. Please do not copy or take without my permission. Or at the very least, give credit where credit is due. Thank you.

* * *

**Ch. 22: Bad Buffy Birthday Tradition, Pt. 1:**

For the next two and a half weeks, Willow and Wesley worked on fine-tuning the details of Buffy's reunion with Murphy and Rowan…with occasional input from Adam and Faith.

And while the party itself wasn't going to be a surprise- because Buffy would likely hurt them if they tried to throw her a surprise party- the inclusion of Connor, Murphy and Rowan would be. Faith was convinced (and Willow agreed whole-heartedly) that if Buffy knew Murphy, Rowan, and Connor were coming, she'd high-tail it out of town just to avoid the situation. So it was a necessary evil that they keep quiet about it.

Murphy and Connor were also being kept in the dark. If either brother were aware of the truth of Buffy's resurrection and subsequent lack of communication, there would be hell to pay, figuratively speaking.

So all culpable parties were agreed; they needed to keep the details quiet. It really was better for everyone that way.

**Paris, France**

**Five days before the reunion…**

It was a madhouse at Methos' place. There was luggage everywhere, as everyone tried to settle all the last minute packing and stuff.

Methos had convinced Duncan and Richie to tag along and help him out in his ruse to get Murphy and Buffy back together. Duncan- ever the irritating Boy Scout that he was- had some reservations about keeping this a secret from the brothers; he thought they should tell Murphy and Connor the truth. Surprisingly, both Richie and Joe agreed with Methos about the necessity of the ruse.

So the MacManus brothers were under the impression that they were going on a sight-seeing vacation of Southern California, while Methos took care of the business he was supposedly flying into the state for.

Methos had led them to believe that he needed to pick up a few items at a rare antiquities shop just outside of Los Angeles that would give them information on what had happened to Murphy. Methos was sure that the brothers were unaware of the real mission when Murphy had asked if it would be okay for them to head to Sunnydale while in the US so he could visit Buffy's family and then to visit her grave, in order to pay his respects.

Boy, was he in for the shock of a lifetime!

**Los Angeles International Airport**

**4:23pm**

**Two and a half days before the reunion…**

The airplane was slowly making its way to the terminal gate as Murphy offered up a silent thanks to God that they'd arrived in one piece. It had been a _**very**_ long flight.

Neither he nor Connor were built to be confined in such a small space for almost fourteen hours. But at least they had been in First Class, rather than Coach. Because if Richie was to be believed, Coach was even worse an experience…with even less leg room and no free booze!

It was bad enough that there was no smoking on the airplane, but no booze would have made the whole flight completely intolerable.

As soon as the seatbelt light clicked off, Murphy undid his seatbelt and stood up. He quickly grabbed the make-shift diaper bag from the overhead compartment before taking a soundly-sleeping Rowan from Connor and cradling her protectively against his chest.

His little Fae princess had enjoyed the plane trip for the most part…then again, with all the attention she'd received from the flight attendants, how could she not? Murphy was pretty sure that that was a trait she had inherited from Buffy, because his girl had happily lapped up the attention doted upon her, and he hated attracting attention.

Murphy waited until most all the other passengers had left before heading towards the exit, with Connor not far behind him.

Once inside the airport proper, the group headed over to Baggage Claim to retrieve their luggage, before parting ways. Methos and Duncan headed to the car rental desk while Murphy, Richie, and Connor headed outside to wait for the other two.

As they waited for Duncan and Methos, Connor lit up a cigarette. Fourteen hours was much too long to go without a smoke, and he desperately needed a hit of nicotine in the worst way!

Not fifteen minutes later, Methos and Duncan both pulled up to the curb in front of them. Methos was behind the wheel of a Silver Ford Expedition SUV, while Duncan was driving a yellow Ford Mustang convertible. Putting the vehicles in park, both men got out to help put the luggage in their respective vehicles. Meanwhile, Murphy got Rowan's car seat situated in the backseat of the SUV that they'd be riding in.

The immediate plans were to head over to the hotel they'd booked and get some rest, ordering from room service that night. And tomorrow, while Methos was taking care of his 'business', Duncan and the others would be doing the sight-seeing thing before meeting up for dinner. The day after that, Duncan and Richie would be driving up to Seacouver while Methos, Connor, Murphy and Rowan headed towards Sunnydale.

**Next day…**

As Murphy and the rest were having a ball doing the tourist gig, slowly making their way to Sunnydale; Willow and Dawn were busy taking care of the last minute details for Buffy's birthday party, frequently asking Buffy for her input.

The guest list included most of the Scoobies (minus Giles), Wesley, Dawn, and their dad. To Willow's delight- and terror- Buffy had insisted on inviting Tara to the party. Willow hadn't seen Tara since the night she moved out of the Summers' house and back into the dorms. She wasn't sure how this first meeting since the 'Forgetting Spell' would go, but she was hopeful.

Willow was thankful that she had the reunion between Buffy and Murphy to focus her attention on, so she was only obsessing about seeing Tara at the party once every four minutes or so, rather than obsessing about it every minute of every day. If she hadn't been occupied, she knew that she was bound to drive everyone else crazy with her it.

As for Buffy, she was praying to whoever would listen that this party went smoothly, but Buffy-logic dictated that _**something**_ was bound to go wrong. After all, she had plenty of bad birthday experiences to draw upon, and that led to being anything but optimistic.

Little did she know (but could easily believe) was that Loki, or some other God/Goddess of chaos and mayhem was gleefully rubbing their hands together in anticipation of the trouble to come.

**The Day Before The Party…**

They'd finally made it to the Sunnydale city limits and Methos was breathing a sigh of relief. It had been more than three years or so since he had been to Los Angeles, but he was sure that in that time, everything had gotten so much worse.

The traffic was beyond atrocious! Most drivers were short-tempered and rudely inconsiderate! There were a few times when Methos wanted to revert to his 'Death' persona and wreak some good old-fashioned violence upon his fellow drivers. But he restrained that urge successfully.

After a quick stop at the nearest gas station, he made a short call to Wesley and Faith, confirming that Buffy was indeed, still at home. It wouldn't take them too long to reach her house, and Methos wanted to get this initial meeting over with as quickly as possible. He had the start of a major headache, and he knew that the ensuing fireworks would no doubt add to it. So, once the others were back in the vehicle, Methos guided the SUV towards 1630 Revello Drive, mentally preparing himself for the fireworks.

The home in question was a fairly average looking split level house, with a shaded front porch, and the requisite porch swing that seemed typical of many Southern California homes.

As they got out of the SUV, Murphy was bombarded with a wealth of emotions: the main two were regret and grief.

Looking up at the house, Murphy could easily picture himself living here with Buffy while they raised their daughter together. With bittersweet longing, he imagined how things could have been. As it was, the only thing he _**could**_ do was to continue showing Rowan Buffy's picture and to answer the questions his daughter was sure to someday have about her mother as best he could. And he would remind her of how much her mother had loved her, and how she hadn't _**wanted**_ to leave her, but she couldn't stay while the world was in peril.

Walking up to the front door, both Murphy and Methos were hit with the buzz of a particularly strong Quickening. It was putting both Immortals on edge, because it was fairly strong, and it could only mean that there was an older Immortal beyond the door. They hoped that this Immortal was friendly, rather than a head hunter. Warily knocking on the door, both Immortals prepared themselves for trouble.

Unaware of the calamity waiting just outside, Dawn went to answer the knock at the front door, fully expecting it to be her father.

Opening the door, she got a shock… Murphy and Connor MacManus stood on the front porch with her niece and some man she didn't know.

"Hi, is Faith here?" the man she didn't know asked in a sexy British accent. All Dawn could do was nod in the affirmative.

Faith- who was aware of the situation- had followed Dawn to the door. At Dawn's surprised yelp, Faith knew that it wouldn't be long until the soap opera began unfolding before her eyes. She sent a mental SOS to both Wes and Willow, demanding that they high-tail it over to the house as soon as possible. "Yo pipsqueak, who's at the door?"

"Um, it's uh…oh crap. It's Murphy, Rowan, and Connor," Dawn stammered.

"Well, don't just stand there. Let them come inside already."

As Dawn backed up to allow them entrance into the house, both Murphy and Connor were a little puzzled at Buffy's little sister's reaction to their presence. She appeared to be shocked that they were there. Right on cue, Fate decided to step in, with Buffy choosing that moment to come downstairs.

Not paying attention to the tension that had just gone up considerably, she asked, "Hey Dawnie, Faith? Do you guys want to grab some Chinese take-away for everyone before we head over to the Magic Box?"

When neither one commented on her suggestion Buffy looked up from buttoning her blouse, only to see Murphy standing just inside the foyer with Rowan squirming in his arms, making little noises of protest at how firmly she was being held; and Murphy was turning an alarming shade of pale as he stared at Buffy, his mouth hanging open in shock.

Not that Buffy or Connor were faring much better.

Coming to a complete stop on the stairs, Buffy hoped that she was hallucinating…that her daughter and former lover weren't really standing right there. The only thought running through her head was, _**'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!' **_on a continuous loop.

Then the silence was broken by Murphy and Connor's stereo exclamations of, "What the fuck?"


	24. Chapter 24

**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing. Buffy belongs to Joss & ME. BDS belongs to Troy Duffy & others.

**A/N: ** know it's been a very long time since I last updated, but life stuff got in the way. And Musie (fickle brat that she is) decided on an almost semi-permanent sabbatical. I did what I could with the meager crumbs she did through my way.

Shout-out to my beta: mmooch. She rules! I don't know if I sent it to her for editing or not (because yes, I have been sitting on it for a long time), but any mistakes you find are mine alone. Sorry, but I did the best I could. And now...

* * *

After the twin exclamations of 'what the fuck?' rent the air; Faith, Adam, and Dawn waited for the other shoe to drop. It was only a matter of time until it did.

For Faith, she was torn between amusement and guilt. Part of her wanted some popcorn to munch on as she watched the ensuing drama unfold; but on the other hand, she felt really bad for springing this surprise on her blonde counterpart. So this must mean that she was on the right path with all of this redemptive shit, right?

Dawn could only watch what was going on with a kind of horrified fascination. She was certain that this would end badly, and there wasn't much she could do to prevent it.

Adam was thinking about how much simpler his life had been before he became friends with the overgrown Boy Scout. Hell, even his life as Death had been less complicated. But, that's what a conscience did; it made everything far more difficult than it had to be. Sometimes he really missed those carefree days!

Murphy was speechless. Surely he must be dreaming…he _**had**_ to be! He was having difficulties forming coherent thoughts. How was it possible for Buffy to be standing not even ten feet in front of him, when she was meant to be dead?

"Could somebody _**please**_ explain what the _**hell**_ is going on?" Connor demanded when he saw his brother couldn't talk. "How the fuck is Buffy standing right there? She's meant ta be dead! Is this some kind of sick fuckin' joke? Or were ye lot lying about her death all along?"

With a quick glance at his pale and shaken twin, Connor's gaze and anger settled onto Buffy herself. "And ye! What the fuck do ye have ta say for yerself? Were ye playing us this entire time? Did ye not wish ta be a mother, so ye faked yer own death ta get out of it? Was it ta much responsibility taking care of yer own daughter, and so ye decided ye didn't want ta do it anymore, is that it?"

When her sister-Slayer didn't speak up and defend herself, Faith stepped in to do it for her. "Whoa! You need to back the fuck off there, asshole! I think it's time you took it down a notch or two. It _**so**_ ain't cool the way you're talking to my girl, B. You've got no _**fucking**_ _**idea**_ what kinda shit she's been through lately! So I suggest that you chill the fuck out and take some deep, cleansing breaths or whatever. 'Cause if you don't, you and I are going to have _**big**_ problems. And I may just decide to revisit some of my former tendencies and go all psycho-Slayer on your ass!" Faith said with a sort of deadly calm.

Adam decided to intervene before things got out of hand and extremely violent. "Connor, you need to calm yourself straightaway or else you're going to get hurt! Now Faith, please try and reign in your temper as well. I'm sure you can understand Connor's reaction, given the circumstances, can't you?" Turning to Buffy, he asked, "Is there somewhere we can sit and discuss this in a calm and somewhat reasonable fashion?"

Shaking herself out of her panic-induced stupor, Buffy nodded and descended the rest of the stairs before silently leading everyone into the living room.

Just as everyone was settling themselves into their seats, the sound of the front door opening and closing was heard. "Buffy? Dawnie? Where is everyone?"

Buffy cleared her throat before answering, "We're in the living room, Will."

Willow and Wesley entered the living room, unsurprised by the amount of tension in the air. Willow almost flinched at Murphy's bewildered look and Connor's accusing stare, but she managed not to. Lamely trying to defuse the tension, she quipped, "So what's the hubbub, bub?"

Wesley rolled his eyes at the Wicca's asinine attempt at levity.

He looked at the brothers with assessing eyes. Wesley was a bit surprised at Buffy's choice in former lover. Murphy MacManus hardly seemed her usual type of man…he had always assumed that she preferred the clean-cut "All-American jock" type, like that Riley Finn chap. Or the "pretty boy" looks of Angel.

Neither Murphy nor Connor could ever be accused of those looks. On further inspection of both men though, Wesley noticed that both had an aura of intensity with the slightest hint of danger. He knew from reading Giles' Watcher diaries that that was partly what had drawn Buffy to Angel initially.

He also found it ironic that like Angel, the MacManus brothers were Irish. However, the fact both men were clearly the epitome of a blue-collar, working class, rough and tumble upbringing gave him a moment's pause. He wondered what had attracted Buffy to Murphy so much that she had initiated a- mostly short-lived- physical relationship with the man. With a mental shrug, he put it down to Buffy having a far more complex and layered personality than he had ever seen as her Watcher.

Then his eyes landed on Adam Pierson, and he was quite surprised to see that the man hadn't changed at all since he'd last seen him. "Adam? Is it really you? My God, man, you haven't changed at all! How long has it been? A decade? Perhaps more? What have you been doing with yourself these days?"

Smirking at Wesley's reaction, Adam stood and went to shake the other man's outstretched hand. "I'd say it's been closer to seventeen years, my friend. And I've tried to keep myself out of trouble, although with the company I keep these days, it hardly seems to work out in my favor."

"Yes, I quite understand that one," Wesley replied dryly. "So, care to introduce me to your friends there?"

With a snort, Adam retorted, "As if you hadn't already figured it out for yourself! But if you are that insistent on social niceties. Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, may I introduce you to Murphy and Connor MacManus," pointing first to the darker-haired man as he made the introductions. "And the little angel in Murphy's arms is Rowan, as I'm quite certain you already knew."

Connor- who had managed to keep silent throughout most of the introductions- was still feeling angry and confused at the lack of forthcoming answers to his questions, so he sniped peevishly, "This has all been well and good, but is someone goin' to fuckin' explain what the _**hell**_ is going on around here?"

"I assume that you're speaking of Buffy's unique situation, yes?" Wesley deadpanned.

"Of course I fuckin' am! What the fuck else would I be wantin' answers ta?" Connor exploded.

With a put-upon sigh, Wesley switched to 'Watcher mode' and began, "Alright then; the first thing you need to understand is that this is not a dream. Nor is it a nightmare or a cruel joke, Buffy really is sitting there. Now the 'how' or 'why' of it is a tad more complicated." With a hard and disapproving look towards Willow, Wesley intended to fully explain the reason leading up to Buffy's sacrifice and her subsequent resurrection by her "well-meaning" friends.

"As you may or may not know, last spring Buffy and her team went up against their most formidable opponent to date: a hell-goddess named Glorificus.

"Now Glory- as she preferred to be known as- came to Sunnydale in search of a mystical artifact of significant importance to her plans for the future. She was going to use it to return to the dimension she'd been banished from," Wesley began. "The item was known as 'The Key to Dimensions', and it was being protected by a particular sect of monks known as 'The Order of Dagon'. She found most of the order in their monastery and proceeded to slaughter them, but not before one of the elders- with the help of two others- managed to perform a spell that completely altered the initial form of the Key, which had been a formless source of energy. After changing the Key's form, they sent it to the Slayer- Buffy- for protection."

Wesley looked over to Buffy and Dawn, seeking their permission to fully disclose Dawn's true origins. After receiving their nonverbal consent, he continued with his narrative. "However, they had to be certain that she would protect it with her life, so they sent the Key to her in the form of a sister: Dawn." With a humorless smile at the two shocked gasps, Wesley continued, "They even created a full identity for her, with fourteen years' worth of memories as a Summers' girl. So while she may _**look**_ like she is a teenager, she is, in actuality, less than a year old.

Connor chose to interrupt at this point, "Let me get this straight; these monks 'made' a human girl in order ta hide this 'Key' from a hell-goddess? How the hell is that possible?"

"Magic," Willow replied. Seeing Connor's skepticism, she also added, "You'd be shocked at what's actually possible with magic."

"Okay, I'll concede that point. But what I don't understand is _**how**_ they made Dawn into Buffy's sister. Wouldn't they need Buffy's DNA in order to manipulate it to the extent they would have needed to accomplish that?" Adam asked. "And how would they have gotten a hold of Buffy's DNA in the first place? Because I'm sure that isn't something Buffy would have given willingly."

"My best guess is that the monks must have had a mole in the hospital, and they managed to steal some of Buffy's blood after one of her visits to her OB/GYN," Willow answered.

"But wouldn't that have made Dawn Buffy's clone? And if that were the case, wouldn't she be an exact physical duplicate of Buffy? " Adam questioned, "And as we can see, there is a pronounced discrepancy in their looks. So that can't be it."

"Well, from what information I managed to ascertain before everything got so wildly out of hand, is that Buffy's DNA isn't the only contributor to Dawn's creation. I noticed something very strange while studying Dawn's DNA structure. There appeared to be three or four contributing donors—for lack of a better term- to her genetic make-up, which shouldn't even be possible from a scientific standpoint," Willow said with a degree of consternation. "Unfortunately, I have no conclusive proof of who the other contributors to the gene pool are, though I have a hunch. At this time, however, it's all conjecture on my part."

Having remained quiet throughout most of the scientific talk, because it wasn't something he understood too well, Connor finally reached the end of his tether. He wanted some answers, and he wanted them _**now**_ damn it! "_**What **_does _**any**_ of this have to do with Buffy sittin' right over there?"

"Jeez, man, are you normally this stupid or are we just the lucky ones? Have you not heard a thing that's been said so far?" Faith wondered aloud, "The reason she's alive, instead of six feet under is because of magic, stupid. Start paying attention!"

"Faith, please!" Wesley chided, "Could you at least _**try **_and keep a civil tongue?"

Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Murphy finally spoke, "Why would ye use magic ta bring Buffy back? Why would ye want ta take someone away from their rest? Was it because she was the Slayer?"

Wesley and Faith both sent dark looks Willow's way at that comment from Murphy, before Wesley answered. "Well, it would seem that Willow had somehow gotten it stuck in her head that Buffy was suffering in some hell dimension simply because Glory wanted to use Dawn's blood to break down the barriers between her home dimension and all the others in order to get back. I daresay she had convinced all three of her accomplices of that; although she had excluded Dawn, Giles, Faith, myself, and a sometimes ally of ours named Spike. I can only conclude that she knew we would have put a stop to it, or told someone who could have put a stop to it, which is why we were left out of the loop."

"But Buffy, why did you jump in the first place? Was there no other solution?" Adam asked.

"Because she's mine. Dawn was made from me, and I couldn't let her die when she hadn't truly had a chance to live yet… and I was tired," Buffy said bluntly.

"Tired? Tired of what?" Connor asked.

"What do you think she was tired of, dumbass? She's been slaying almost every night since she was fifteen, knowing that one wrong move and she's dead. Wouldn't you be tired of that kind of existence?" Faith retorted.

Connor was tired of the brunette snapping at him, so he snapped right back, "What the fuck is yer problem? Why do ye keep acting like a bitch ta me?"

"Because it's so much fun! And I really don't like you," she added sassily.

Faith was having too good of a time needling Connor to notice the looks she was receiving from Buffy, Willow, and Wesley. If she did, she'd be denying the knowing looks or threatening bodily harm. As it was, she didn't see them, and was cheerfully unaware of their thoughts.

Connor realized that he was being a bit of a dickhead, but the more he got to know these people and the world they lived in, the less black and white his world became. He'd been so certain how to go about his life before Buffy and her friends entered it. Good men, evil men. Kill evil men so that good could flourish. All these shades of grey were disconcerting, and he needed time to process it all. So yeah, it was making him act like a bit of a dickhead.

Wesley continued his narrative, "Anyway, the Glory situation compounded with her mother's death and becoming a parent to her younger sister as well as to Rowan must have seemed a daunting scenario. No one realized just how stressed out and tired Buffy truly was, nor that she was suffering from a bad case of post-partum depression. So while I cannot claim to know what she was going through, I think it was understandable that sacrificing her life in exchange for Dawn's was the only option she felt made sense at the time."

"You know, I think now would be a good place to stop. I think both Murphy and Connor are a bit overwhelmed with all the information. Maybe it would be best if we saved any other revelation for some other time, yes?" Adam hinted. He could see that Buffy needed the break as much as the brothers needed a chance to process what they had heard.

"Yes, quite right. I think a bit of time to take it all in would be a good thing for all involved," Wesley agreed.


	25. Chapter 25

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own it; just borrowing.  
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**A/N: This chapter is unbeta'ed(?). I did the best I could. Hopefully it isn't an epic fail. Please do not take without my permission. Onward, ho!  
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**Catch My Fall… If I Should Stumble:**

While Connor and Murphy processed all that they had heard, neither noticed when the living room cleared of everyone but Buffy and Faith. Nor did they catch the way Rowan's inquisitive gaze settled onto Buffy, the cogs in her little head spinning fast as she tried to understand what was going on around her. Before too long though, recognition brightened Rowan's face and she started leaning towards Buffy, all the while crying out, "Ma! Ma, ma, ma, ma!"

Buffy was completely startled when Rowan cried out for her. She hadn't thought Rowan would know who she was, considering how young she'd been when Buffy had died.

So for her baby girl to recognize her, it meant that Murphy had kept her memory alive… and that made her feel something other than the numbness she'd lived with since digging herself out of her own grave.

And despite what her friends might have thought, Buffy did want to feel like herself again, it was just harder than they realized to forget the pure perfection that was Heaven, and being dragged from it unwillingly.

However, if there was anything that could make her want to truly live again, Rowan and Murphy would probably be it. She just didn't know if or how to make things right with Murphy, so that they might be able to get reacquainted again.

When he felt Rowan leaning forward in his grasp, Murphy was immediately pulled from his thoughts as he instinctively tightened his hold on his daughter so she wouldn't fall; but when she started calling out for Buffy, he felt a twist in his heart.

Intellectually, he knew that he shouldn't be angry at Buffy for not contacting him after all these months. She'd suffered a major trauma, and she clearly hadn't been thinking rationally.

Emotionally though, Murphy was hurt. Did he and Rowan mean nothing to her? He'd thought that they had had a deeper connection than that. Perhaps he was wrong?

He chanced a look at Buffy as he tried to keep a grip on Rowan. She looked shocked…and hopeful? He wondered at that. Was she shocked that Rowan recognized who she was? Or was she shocked that Rowan might already be babbling actual words? He had so many questions, but he wasn't sure he could handle the actual answers at the moment. Especially the answer of exactly where Buffy had been when she'd died- because he was pretty sure he knew- and if his hunch was correct, then he wouldn't be able to hold back the things he wanted to say to her friends.

As he watched the play of emotions on her face, he decided to at least _**try**_ and understand the reasoning behind Buffy's decision not contact him after her resurrection.

Biting the proverbial bullet, he offered her a white flag. "Do ye want ta hold her?"

Buffy's gaze moved from Rowan to Murphy when he spoke to her; uncertainty warred with sudden longing at the thought of holding her daughter again, and that uncertainty made her seem meek and timid. Which was so far from who she truly was. "Uh, yeah, I would, if that's alright with you?"

"O' course it is! And it appears as if she wants ta be near her ma anyway, so if I were ta try and deny her, she would be voicing her displeasure, loudly," Murphy said wryly. "She takes after my side of the family when it comes ta her temper."

"Does she?" Buffy asked.

"Aye. Most of the time she's even-tempered, but when she really wants something and it's denied ta her, she becomes very vocal at expressin' her unhappiness," Murphy said as he handed Rowan over to Buffy.

Carefully cradling Rowan in her arms, she said, "Dawn was the exact same way when she was little. My dad used to say that she was as destructive as a tsunami, and after a particularly intense tantrum, I took to calling her 'Tsunami Dawn'. It's kinda ironic how similar their temperaments are."

"If you say so."

Both Murphy and Buffy were surprised at how quickly Rowan latched onto Buffy, her little hands fisting into her blouse as she started to coo happily. Buffy could feel the telltale sting of tears threatening to spill at this precious moment and yet she couldn't bring herself to care. It had been too long since she'd held her daughter and it just felt _**so**_ good. The ache in Buffy's heart- her constant companion since her resurrection- eased up considerably.

She had been so depressed and numb to her own emotions after clawing her way out of her own grave and realizing that she had been torn from Heaven by her best friends, that in order to function, she'd had to turn off all other emotions or else she would have tried finding the quickest and easiest way to off herself, just so she could return to the peace, love and warmth that she'd known in Heaven.

Those days and weeks following her resurrection had been so hard, with everyone hoping/expecting things to go back to the way they were before her sacrifice. So isolating herself had seemed like the best solution to the problem.

Unfortunately, Faith had known that something wasn't right, and she had refused to allow Buffy too much time alone to brood. So Faith and Wesley had kept her busy with patrolling and training to help keep her dark thoughts at bay. And for that, Buffy was grateful. It had given her something to focus on through those dark days.

Buffy knew she should have contacted Murphy much sooner; but she didn't. Not wanting to open that can of worms before she was ready. Looking back on it, yes, it was unfair to Murphy and Rowan. She wasn't denying the selfishness of it, but hey, she wasn't a saint after all. The only thing she'd wanted was to return to Heaven.

However, she was here now; she was determined to try and make it up to Rowan and Murphy, now that he knew of her return to the land of the living. No more dwelling on the 'should haves' any longer, because it was futile and self-defeating in the process. They were reunited (even if it had been an ambush) and she intended to be an active participant in her own life once more.

For Murphy, seeing Buffy interact with their daughter was heartening. It seemed as though she wouldn't have to miss anymore of Rowan's life, God willing. He wanted Buffy to have an active role in Rowan's upbringing, even if he and Connor had to relocate to Sunnydale in order for that to happen. And just maybe, he and Buffy could resume their 'relationship' in the near future. God knew that he was still in love with her; and he was pretty certain that she was his 'be-all and end-all'. He only hoped she might come to feel the same way for him someday. Only time would tell. After all, he had some explanations of his own to discuss with Buffy.

He wondered how Buffy would respond to his former life as one of the 'Saints of South Boston.'" But the most important piece of information was his newfound status as an Immortal. This time around, he was not looking forward to confession. For now though, he wanted to bask in being reunited with Buffy.

Faith watched Buffy interact with Murphy and Rowan with a fair amount of smugness. She had been right in reuniting them and not telling them. Sure, it had started out kinda iffy, but now it looked as though things might turn out for the good. And Faith hoped for the best for her blonde-haired counterpart. After everything Buffy had been through, she deserved a little bit of happiness.

Faith then directed her stare at Connor, trying to get his attention. She wanted to give the little family a bit of privacy so that they could get reacquainted with each other. And for that to happen, she and Connor had to leave the room. When a minute or more passed and Connor had yet to catch on, Faith tried thinking of what she had on her that she could chuck at him, so that he would get a clue.

Connor was thinking about everything that had gone on recently and how that would affect the life he and Murphy had built for themselves in Paris when he was pulled out of his musings by a heavy stare burning a hole in the side of his head.

Looking up, he saw Faith staring at him in annoyance. When their eyes met, she jerked her thumb in the direction in which they had initially come in. But Connor got the message. It was time to give Murphy and Buffy some privacy.

Quietly standing, Connor followed Faith out of the living room. He continued to follow her lead, as he had no idea where everyone else was, and he didn't want to be rude and wander around Buffy's home without permission. When he and Faith entered the kitchen, he noticed that there were two more additions to the group. He remembered meeting them before in New York. If he recalled correctly, the tall brunette male was Xander and the blonde woman was Xander's girlfriend Anya.

Xander and Anya looked up when Faith entered the kitchen with Connor MacManus in tow. Willow had been bringing them up to speed on what had gone on so far in 'Casa de Summers'. He was kinda hurt that Willow had excluded him from the plans that she, Wesley and Faith had concocted to bring Buffy and Murphy together again; but when Willow explained that she'd been sworn to secrecy by Wesley and Faith, he decided to get over it.

The way he figured it, Faith would happily have put the hurt on Willow for spilling the beans to anyone. She was _**not**_ a big fan of theirs since she'd found out about Buffy's secret. In fact, it was safe to say that the dark-haired Slayer could barely stand to be in the same room as them anymore.

Though if you asked him, she hardly had any room to talk, when one considered all the crap she'd also put Buffy through once upon a time. But no one ever mentioned that. Since Buffy had forgiven her, it was all water under the bridge. So why should she be made to remember her own past misdeeds?

That Willow had been convinced that Buffy was suffering in some hell dimension had been all the convincing Xander had needed to agree to be a part of Willow's spell. Even though he had had some misgivings the closer the ritual deadline approached. But Willow had shot down his worries, downplaying his concerns. He believed he had behaved like a good and loyal friend would. So why was being condemned for an honest mistake? It just wasn't fair.

It wasn't as if he had the magical know-how to find out all the facts that the ritual entailed, was it? Or that Buffy had been at peace. He didn't think anyone could have known that.

Wesley and Adam were discussing the rooming situation while Willow explained what had gone on so far to Xander and Anya. "So, I think that given the circumstances, maybe Murphy, Rowan and Connor can stay here at Buffy's house; I'm sure Xander wouldn't object to putting Willow up for a few days at his apartment; and there is a spare bedroom at mine and Faith's place where you could crash. What do you think of this idea?"

"Well, I'd have to talk to the brothers, but that sounds good to me," Adam said, "I think that Murphy will be quite amenable to that suggestion, and Connor will go along with it just to keep Murphy happy."

"Alright, then. Why don't you go speak with Connor about it, while I discuss it with Faith and the others?"

Neither Buffy nor Murphy realized when Faith and Connor left the room, because they were too wrapped up in each other. It was strange how comforting and comfortable it felt being together again. It was like they hadn't been apart for close to two years now.

Maybe it was because of how comfortable he was feeling with Buffy, that he couldn't seem to stop what tumbled out of his mouth, "Why, Buffy? Why did ye not call me when ye came back? Ye must have known that I would have dropped everything ta come ta ye the minute ye called. Are Rowan and I not important enough ta ye?"

Feeling even guiltier than before, Buffy tried to think of how she wanted to say what she needed to say. In her mind, there was no adequate way to express to Murphy the ordeal she'd experienced or excuse her lack of communication. She wasn't sure she had the words.

Murphy waited patiently for Buffy to respond to his questions. He knew she would when she was ready to, and he was rewarded for that patience soon after.

"I wanted to, Murphy, but I wasn't in a very good place after my return. I just couldn't understand why I was back again. I was finished. I had done my duty to the world; I was tired. And as cruel and as selfish as it may sound to you and to Rowan, I knew you both would be okay without me. It would be hard at first, but I honestly believed that. What we had was so beautiful, but it was so brief; so I didn't think my sacrifice would have any long-term effect on your futures," Buffy explained.

"I would've come for ye if only ye'd called and asked me ta. Surely ye must know that? Even more, I would've come ta take care of ye while ye were pregnant, if only I had known. But ye never called and I never knew… and truth be told, Buffy, that just hurts," Murphy said, "I thought ye'd know that I'd never abandon my child, nor ye. That wasn't how me Ma raised Connor or I."

"I know, and I am _**so **_sorry! Deep down, I always knew that, but there was so much going on, that the time never seemed right to get in contact with you. Again, I am so sorry, Murphy," Buffy cried, "And just like I know that saying 'I'm sorry' isn't good enough, nor does it fix things, but it's all I have to give you. If I could take it back, I would, in a heartbeat... I would have contacted you the day after I was resurrected instead of waiting. But hindsight is only 20/20 and I totally dropped the ball on this whole situation."

She really did seem sorry, so Murphy let that subject lie for now. He was about to ask her the one question he'd been wanting answered since being told of her ordeal.

"I need ta ask ye a question, Buffy, but I want an honest answer from ye. Do ye think ye can do that for me?"

Buffy felt her guard go up instantly, "That depends on what you ask me."

"I need ta hear this. It's very important, so again I ask: will ye answer me truthfully, Buffy?"

Staring into Murphy's beautiful blue eyes, Buffy saw a myriad of emotions and promises hidden there, waiting to be fulfilled. She knew that if she had any hopes of building a future with him, she would have to be truthful with him, "I will."

"Were ye in Heaven when yer friends brought ye back to earth?"

As Murphy waited for her answer, he saw the pain and bewilderment at the mention of Heaven on Buffy's face and he knew that it was true, even before she said so in words. "Yes, I was. And _**my friends**_ tore me out of there, and I have been dealing with the consequences and turmoil of it ever since."

He was torn. A part of Murphy ached in sympathy for Buffy and what she'd gone through. And he felt a righteous anger towards her friends on her behalf. But there was another part of him that was happy. As horrible as it sounded, a part of him was happy that it had happened, because he had her back now. And he had hopes of building a life with her and their daughter, whether it was in Sunnydale, or somewhere else, he just wanted a chance to try.

It was selfish, he knew, but what the hell? He was just a man, after all, "Oh Buffy, I'm so sorry for everything ye've had ta endure." And that was all the prompting he needed to gather her into his arms and hold her.

In the kitchen, a different scene was unfolding. Wesley was beginning to truly understand Giles so much better. He wondered at how Giles had managed to put up with Willow and Xander for as long as he had. Granted, that Wesley was probably a little bit more biased when it came to Buffy's best friends, especially after the 'Rite of Osiris', but still.

When he and Adam had brought up the suggestion of having Willow temporarily stay with Xander; while Murphy, Connor and Rowan stayed at the Summers' home for the duration of their stay in Sunnydale, both had protested vociferously.

In fact, they were still being argumentative and frustrating about it. As if they honestly had a say in what would happen. Wesley was at his wit's end! "Alright! I know that you don't like this idea, but as this house belongs to neither of you, I don't think you get a say in how the accommodations are going to work."

Turning to the younger Summers, Wesley chose to get her opinion of the arrangements. "Now, Dawn, as this house belongs to both you and your sister, the final decision lies with you and Buffy. So, I'm asking you: Does this arrangement sound fair to you?"

With a look at Xander and Willow's faces, Dawn made up her mind. With an apologetic look, she made her decision, "Look guys, I understand why you feel the way you do, but I think that this arrangement is for the best. Buffy needs to reconnect with her daughter and Murphy. And wherever Murphy is, Connor goes. And the only place we have room for them is Mom's old bedroom. I know you don't think it's fair, but this is how it's gotta be. Please understand that this is for Buffy's benefit, as well as Rowan's. Buffy needs her daughter and Rowan needs her mother."

When it looked like Xander was going to protest, Dawn interrupted, "No, Xander, this is it. This is the plan. Murphy, Rowan and Connor are staying here with us, and Willow can stay with you for a few days. Besides, it isn't as if you don't have a spare bedroom at your apartment. And it's not like this is a permanent arrangement, anyway."

"Fine, whatever you say," they grumbled. With that, Xander followed Willow up to her room to help her pack a bag of stuff for a few days.

Dawn understood the frustration and fear that Willow was likely feeling, but the decision she had come to boiled down to one thing: Buffy and Rowan were her blood family. Murphy would, in all likelihood become her brother-in-law sooner or later. Connor was also likely to become a part of her family as well, and right now it was crucial that they have some time to bond as a family; which meant that they needed to be staying under the same roof for that to happen. It was simple logic, really.

More importantly, Dawn had figured out what Willow had been talking about when she and Wesley explained everything concerning Dawn's origins: Murphy and Connor were her biological fathers, and Buffy was her biological mother; along with Faith, she suspected.

And man! She was definitely the winner for 'Freak of the Millennia' award, wasn't she? But she was slowly learning to deal with the freakishness of her existence… not that she had much choice in the matter. She could throw a tantrum over the unfairness of it all, but that wouldn't do her much good. Or she could suck it up and deal. And in her more recent bid to try and be seen as a mature young woman, she had chosen the latter option.

**Los Angeles**

**Late afternoon**

Hank Summers was looking around his empty office, making sure he had the last of his stuff packed away. It felt strange to be leaving his job, but he reminded himself that he was heading for something much better: the opportunity to be a part of his daughters' everyday lives again. He had missed so much in the last three or so years, and he just wanted to make up for it.

He was going to be spending tonight in a hotel here in LA- since he'd already sold his condo- before heading to Sunnydale early the next morning. He also needed to find the perfect present for his princess, since it was her birthday tomorrow.

Even though he knew she already was, to the rest of the world his princess was going to legally be twenty-one years old. Twenty-one! It made Hank feel old just thinking about it. His firstborn- his little Russian princess- was of legal drinking age.

There was one other thought that made him feel _**really, really **_old: knowing he was a grandfather at forty-one really shook him up. He had no idea how to bring up the subject of his grandchild with Buffy. In the time they had spent together so far, she had yet to mention the subject and he didn't know how to broach it in such a way that it wouldn't make her defensive or alienate her.

Maybe he should try and pry the information out of Dawn? But that wasn't right either. He couldn't do that to his youngest. It wasn't fair to her.

Well damn. He just wouldn't think about it for now. When he was fully immersed in their lives, and Buffy trusted him more, he could bring it up. Until then, he would leave it alone. He had time on his side.

For now, however, he was going to leave and get Buffy's birthday gift; then he was going to head back to his hotel to have a shower and get dinner in the hotel's restaurant.

_**Several hours later…**_

Hank had finished having a solitary dinner, when he decided to have a drink in the hotel bar before heading back up to his room for the night.

He was sitting at the bar, nursing a whiskey on the rocks, when he noticed a gorgeous brunette walk up to him. Smiling at him with blindingly white teeth, she asked, "Hi, is anyone sitting here?"

Clearing his throat, he replied, "Uh no, it's available." And then he turned back to the bar, not wanting to seem like a dirty old man by staring at her. When the bartender asked her what she wanted, she grinned and said, "I'll have what he's having."

"Wow, this place seems kind of… dead," the young woman commented.

Hank was a bit confused at the young lady's attempt at conversation with him. Why would a beautiful young thing such as her want to chat with an old man such as himself? It seemed odd. But, not wanting to appear rude, he turned towards her, so that he could respond properly, "Well, it was a bit busier earlier, but I imagine it's so quiet now because most of the other patrons have either gone for dinner, or have retired to their hotel rooms for the evening."

"Oh, well that makes sense. I'm Alessandra, by the way. And you are?"

"I'm Hank. Nice to meet you, Alessandra," he said, holding out his hand to shake.

"Nice to meet you, Hank," she said as she shook his hand. "So, is the restaurant any good here? I haven't had dinner yet, and this is my first stay in this hotel. But I don't feel like eating dinner in my room, because that feels too depressing."

"That's true, but eating alone can be just as depressing as ordering room service, if not more. As I just experienced firsthand, so it's a toss-up really."

"I suppose you're right. Though, the thought of going to one of those crowded, "supposed to be hip" places that my friends and I often frequent all by myself would seem even more pathetic somehow, especially when if the paparazzi caught wind of it. Such is the life I lead. I grow weary of constantly being ogled and objectified by the majority of the men I come across."

"I can't say that I understand where you are coming from with that one, but I suppose it can be a bit tiring if it happens constantly."

"But, I shouldn't complain. My job takes me to places most others can only dream of, and I get paid quite well in the process. It seems kind of petty to complain about my career and the success and recognition it affords me, when there are so many others who are doing something they hate or are unhappy doing just to pay the bills and put food on the table."

"Well, that is a very mature outlook to have. Not many young people today have that kind of outlook on life or their careers. They are still in the selfish, party stage of their lives, where the world revolves solely around them."

"So, Hank, I know that this is going to sound pushy and maybe even brazen, but I really don't want to eat alone… so would you care to join me for dinner, Hank?"

"Well, I have already eaten… but I suppose I could escort you to dinner, just to keep you company. Besides, I'm not quite ready to call it a night. So yes, Miss Alessandra, I will happily accompany you to dinner."

Over dinner, Hank found out that Alessandra was twenty-two and a model. She was from Spain, and had been modeling since she was seventeen years old. She normally lived in Manhattan, but she was here on a photo shoot for a popular lingerie company. She had just gotten finished with the photo shoot for the day and had come to the bar to unwind before having dinner.

Hank had talked about Buffy and Dawn to her, and she gave him a few other suggestions for birthday gifts for Buffy- from a woman's perspective- which he appreciated. Hank was surprised to find that in spite of the age difference, they had more than a few interests in common.

He was also aware of the envious stares that he was receiving from quite a few of the men in the restaurant, but he ignored them. Though, he was surprised at how candid he was in telling this young woman some of the difficulties and obstacles he had faced in reconnecting with his daughters.

"I never wanted to get to the point where I lost all contact with my children or ex-wife, but circumstances made it impossible to keep in touch. Because of that, I missed out on so much of their lives, and I will never be able to get it back. And my ex-wife will never know how sorry I was that circumstances got so wildly out of hand. She died never knowing how much I loved, and still love her," Hank confessed sadly, "I just wish… I wish that I could share in every part of my daughters' lives- the good and the bad. I want them to know that I mean it when I say that I am in it for the long haul."

Looking down at her watch, Alessandra exclaimed, "Oh no, look at the time! I am so sorry, Hank! But I am going to have to call it a night. I still have another day on the photo shoot, and I need to be up by five in the morning."

"That's alright, I didn't realize it was so late either; I have a few errands I need to do accomplish before I permanently relocate to Sunnydale tomorrow. So, it's good that one of us realized the time before too late."

"I truly enjoyed myself tonight, Hank. It isn't often I meet a man who treats me as a woman, rather than as a prize or a trophy of some kind. I have one more small favor to ask, before we part company: would you mind walking me to my room?"

"Not at all," Hank replied as he stood up from the table, "Shall we?" After paying for her meal, Alessandra stood up as well. When Hank offered his arm in a gesture of gallantry that wasn't often seen in this day and age, Alessandra accepted, charmed. As they made their way to the elevator, they continued to chat in an affable manner.

At the door of her hotel room, Alessandra bid Hank a goodnight, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek before entering her room.

As Hank returned to his own room, he remained blissfully unaware of the events that would soon occur.


End file.
